Wolff Set to Divest Stake Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6 Billion

Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Financial Increase

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of 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 was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three races left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship 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 won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.