Toto Wolff Set to Divest Stake Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks 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 – after McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

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

This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three races remaining this season.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.