Mercedes F1 valued at record £4.6 billion with Toto Wolff set to sell 5% of shareholding

Mercedes F1 CEO and Team Principal, Toto Wolff has been recently reported to be in advanced talks about selling part of his stake in the team. This would value the team at €4.6 billion, the highest ever for an F1 team, overtaking McClaren who were valued at €3.5 billion earlier this September.

The 53 year old is expected to sell 5% of his shares, reducing his overall stake to 28%. Specifically, he would be selling his shares in Motorsports Investment Ltd, a passive equity holding company registered in Guernsey that lists Wolff as the the director. While the buyer has not been officially named, it is suspected that CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has been linked with the discussions.

This would mark a 2800% rise in valuation since Wolff’s integration in 2013

Though the reasons behind the deal are mostly unknown, the sale would represent a significant rise in the team’s value after INEOS, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, purchased a $208 million stake in 2022, following the recent trend in F1 teams experiencing a spike in their valuation, courtesy of the sport’s growing appeal worldwide, amplified by Netflix’s Drive to Survive and more recently, the F1 movie, starring Brad Pitt. Provided the sale does go through, this would mark a 2800% rise in valuation since Wolff’s integration in 2013 where the Brackley-based squad was only valued at €165 million.

The team however has refused to make any major statements on the matter besides the fact that the Austrian will continue his current responsibilities as CEO and Team Principal of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 in spite of the sale. In a statement, Mercedes said “The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners[Mercedes-Benz, Toto and INEOS] are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1.”

Mercedes has maintained a consistent level, finishing 3rd, 2nd and 4th respectively across 2022-2024

One of F1’s most successful teams, Toto Wolff guided Mercedes to a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021, while achieving seven drivers championships, one for Nico Rosberg and six for Lewis Hamilton in what is known as the sport’s greatest ever partnership.

While their performances since have declined, Mercedes has maintained a consistent level, finishing 3rd, 2nd and 4th respectively across 2022-2024. They currently stand 2nd in the 2025 Constructors rankings, behind champions McClaren, racking 2 wins out of the 21 grand prix, both coming from driver George Russell. This trend could soon change however, for better or for worse, with regulations for the 2026 season changing drastically with a focus on smaller, agile cars, the removal of the Drag Reduction System(DRS), improved safety and more.

But what does this say about the sport’s future? While many view the transaction as the Austrian realizing the gains of his investments, with the scope of valuation increasing across the board, it remains to be seen whether other teams follow suit.