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

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

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

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

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group 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 unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years 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 Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.