🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer 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 Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.