🔗 Share this article

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

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

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.

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

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three races remaining this season.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 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's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a record eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.