🔗 Share this article

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake 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 a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of five percent.

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

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

The deal signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Performance

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

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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