🔗 Share this article

Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

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

Shareholder Breakdown

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

An official representative said: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

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

It is Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Present Standings

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

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

The team secured a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.