Wolff Set to Divest Shareholding Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the success of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents 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 Racing, with three races left in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 races 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 drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.