🔗 Share this article Toto Wolff Preparing to Sell Stake Valuing Mercedes F1 at £4.6 Billion Team Principal Wolff has led Mercedes to historic success in Formula 1 Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit. The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure last September. The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent. Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed. Shareholder Breakdown The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise. An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One." Valuation Increase The deal would represent a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022. This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport around the world. This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide. The film represents Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports film to date. Current Standings The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left this season. Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. The team won a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.