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

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

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

An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.