Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Toto Wolff with Mercedes F1 team
Team Principal Wolff has guided the Mercedes team to historic success in Formula 1

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

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

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races this year 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 straight team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.

Jesse Wagner
Jesse Wagner

Eleanor Whitmore is a lifestyle journalist and luxury brand consultant based in London.