🔗 Share this article

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

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

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

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

The deal would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Current Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.