Wolff Preparing to Divest Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion
Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.
The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding in the region of 5%.
The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.
Ownership Structure
Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.
An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in F1."
Valuation Increase
The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.
The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.
This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.
The film represents Pitt's most successful movie and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.
Current Standings
The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.
Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Mercedes secured a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.