🔗 Share this article

Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We are providing no comment on this. The management structure of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

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

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Current Performance

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.