🔗 Share this article

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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group bought its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix left this season.

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

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