🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

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

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on this. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Current Standings

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

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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