🔗 Share this article

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

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left this season.

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

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