Wolff Set to Sell Stake Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn
Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.
Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.
Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.
Shareholder Structure
The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.
A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."
Valuation Growth
The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.
This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.
This was also seen in the success of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630m (£458 million) at the box office.
It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film to date.
Present Performance
Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.
Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.
