Toto Wolff Set to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

The deal signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Performance

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three races left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.