Toto Wolff Set to Divest Shareholding Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6 Billion

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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Current Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

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

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