Toto Wolff is in advanced discussions to sell part of his stake in Mercedes F1 to Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz, in a deal valuing the Formula One team at a record $6 billion, as per reports in the Financial Times on Tuesday.
Austrian Wolff, Mercedes-Benz, and Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemicals giant Ineos currently each hold 33% stakes in the team.
Mercedes declined to comment on the report but stated, “the governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One.”
There were no comments from the other named parties.
The Financial Times and Sportico, which first reported the talks, indicated that Wolff, who serves as team principal and head of Mercedes motorsport,
planned to bring an outside investor into the holding company that owns his stake.
The Financial Times quoted a person with knowledge of the matter saying that the investor would take a stake of about 5% in the team, with Wolff retaining his roles.
Sportico mentioned a “mid-single-digit stake.”
Global cybersecurity technology company Crowdstrike is a Mercedes team partner, with its branding on cars and driver apparel.
Kurtz is an avid sportscar racer who has competed in Le Mans and other endurance events.
What Have Mercedes Done In F1?
Mercedes won eight constructors’ titles in a row from 2014 to 2021 and are currently second in the 2025 standings after 21 of 24 rounds.
McLaren, who use Mercedes engines, have clinched the constructors’ crown for the second consecutive year and are poised to secure the drivers’ title as well.
Bahrain’s Mumtalakat and Abu Dhabi’s CYVN Holdings took full ownership of McLaren Racing last September in a deal that an informed source said at the time valued the champions at $5 billion, setting a benchmark.
Formula One team valuations have soared, driven by the sport’s rapid growth in popularity thanks to Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ docu-series and Apple’s F1 movie, contrasting with past times when owning a team often led to financial losses.
In 2009, Honda famously sold their team to principal Ross Brawn, leader of a management buyout after the Japanese withdrawal, for one pound. Brawn led the team to that year’s championship, with Jenson Button winning the drivers’ crown.
Renault also reportedly bought the struggling Lotus team for the same amount in 2015.
They now compete as Alpine with celebrity shareholders, including Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Alpine was valued at around $900 million after the investor group took a 24% equity stake in the team for 200 million euros in 2023.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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