🔗 Share this article Wolff Preparing to Divest Shareholding Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion Toto Wolff has guided Mercedes to record-breaking achievements in Formula 1 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit. The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September. Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%. Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through. Ownership Breakdown Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company. A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One." Valuation Increase This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022. This surge reflects the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world. This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office. It is the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released. Present Performance Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining this season. Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.