🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload 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 – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Structure

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing 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 Formula One."

Financial Growth

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

The rise reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Current Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers 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 by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.