Wolff Set to Divest Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

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

The rise reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Present Performance

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.