Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three races left in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races so far 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 record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.