Wolff Preparing to Divest Stake Valuing 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.

The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

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

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of 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 in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Present Standings

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a unprecedented eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.