🔗 Share this article

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

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

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

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

Mercedes 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.