🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure in September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

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

Ownership Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Increase

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Present Standings

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

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 grands prix 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 secured a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.