🔗 Share this article

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

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in two 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 straight team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.