Wolff Set to Divest Shareholding Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6 Billion

Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Present Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races 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 team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.