F1 LIVE | Wolff to sell stake in $6bn valued Mercedes F1 team, Stella's Red Bull cost cap inquiry answered
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Wolff to sell part of his take in Mercedes F1 team
Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff is reportedly in advanced talks to sell part of his ownership stake in the Formula 1 team.
As reported by Sportico, the deal values Mercedes at approximately $6 billion USD (£4.6 billion), surpassing McLaren’s previously reported $4.6 billion USD (£3.5 billion) valuation from September.
Wolff, who currently owns one-third of the team, is said to be selling a 5% portion of his stake. Despite the sale, he will retain his existing roles as part-owner, team principal, and CEO of the Brackley-based outfit.
The unnamed buyer will join Wolff, Ineos, and Mercedes as shareholders, with Ineos and Mercedes maintaining their respective one-third holdings.
Formula 1 team valuations have surged in recent years, with Mercedes’ worth increasing from roughly $821 million USD (£624 million) when Ineos purchased its share for about $270 million USD (£208 million) in 2022.
A Mercedes spokesperson told the BBC that there would be no comment on the matter but confirmed that the team’s governance will remain unchanged, with all three partners remaining fully committed to Mercedes’ ongoing Formula 1 success.
GPblog answers Stella's cost cap question
After the São Paulo Grand Prix, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella questioned whether the costs of the new power unit fitted to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull were included in the cost cap.
Following a poor qualifying session, Red Bull took the RB21 out of Parc Fermé on Saturday evening and installed a fresh engine, resulting in a pit lane start.
The stronger power unit helped Verstappen climb to third place, with Stella later commenting that if the engine change had been made for performance reasons, it should count towards the cost cap.
Red Bull openly stated that the engine change was performance-driven. GPblog investigated the issue and confirmed that the cost of Verstappen’s new power unit is included in the cost cap.
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