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

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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure in September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

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

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

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

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

Current Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a record eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.