Toto Wolff Set to Sell Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6bn

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

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

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

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

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

It is the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports film to date.

Present Performance

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won two 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's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.