🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Shareholder Breakdown

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

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.