Toto Wolff Set to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

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

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its stake 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 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

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

Mercedes won a unprecedented eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.