🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to sell part of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

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

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no comment on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in 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 cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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