Toto Wolff Set to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.

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

Mercedes won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.