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

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

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.