Wolff Set to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.
The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately five percent.
Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.
Ownership Structure
Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.
An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."
Financial Increase
This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.
The rise reflects the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.
This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.
It is Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports movie to date.
Current Performance
Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.
Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 2 of the 21 grands prix this year 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 consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
