Wolff Set to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn
Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure last September.
The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of five percent.
The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.
Ownership Breakdown
The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.
An official representative said: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."
Financial Increase
The deal signifies a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.
The rise reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.
This was also seen in the success of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458 million) at the box office.
It is the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.
Current Standings
Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.
Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The team won a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.
