Wolff Set to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

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

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left 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's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.