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

Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, 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

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to 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 debuted last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Current Standings

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

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

Mercedes won a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.