Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

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

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

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Current Standings

Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races left in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.