Wolff Set to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

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

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

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

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

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

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

The team secured a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.