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

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports film ever released.

Current Performance

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren's 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 for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.