🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

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

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, 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 fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.