Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.