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

Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his shareholding 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 £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

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

The team secured a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.