🔗 Share this article

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

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds 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 principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

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

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Present Performance

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

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

Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.