🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.

An official representative said: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.