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

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team 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 corporate structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Ownership Breakdown

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

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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