Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports film ever released.

Current Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three races left this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.