Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn
Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure in September.
The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately five percent.
The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.
Shareholder Structure
Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.
An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."
Valuation Growth
This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.
This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.
This was also seen in the success of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned over $630m (£458m) at the box office.
The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports film to date.
Current Standings
The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races left this season.
Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Mercedes won a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.
