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

Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

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

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Current Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

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

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