Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Stake Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6bn

Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

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

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.