🔗 Share this article

Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

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

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

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Present Performance

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.