Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold a third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise 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 last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Current Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races left in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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