Wolff Set to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6bn

Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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