Wolff Preparing to Divest Stake Pricing 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 values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, 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.

Shareholder Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

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

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.