Toto Wolff Preparing to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.