Toto Wolff Set to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

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

This surge reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Present Standings

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

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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