🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure in September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

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

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

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

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Current Standings

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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