Wolff Preparing to Divest Shareholding Pricing 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 Formula 1 team.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Current Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

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

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