Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Stake Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

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

The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

The deal signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races left in the current championship.

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

The team secured a record eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.