Wolff Preparing to Divest Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6bn

Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

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

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

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

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