Wolff Preparing to Divest Stake Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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