🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

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

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver 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's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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