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It appears increasingly likely that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is considering selling part of his stake in the team. The Austrian currently owns one-third of Mercedes but is reportedly exploring the sale of around five percent. Now, it has leaked who intends to buy those shares.
Mercedes is owned by three shareholders: Wolff, Ineos, and the Daimler parent company. Wolff combines his ownership with his role as team principal and CEO, making him one of the most influential figures in Formula 1. The idea that he might offload a portion of his stake has therefore raised eyebrows.
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On Wednesday evening, BBC Sport and Sportico reported that Wolff was preparing to sell roughly five percent of his shares, though it was not yet clear who the interested party was. That picture has now become clearer.
Mercedes Sponsor Interested in Shares
According to ESPN, several sources have confirmed that the buyer is George Kurtz, CEO of cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike. Kurtz is heavily involved in motorsport and, through CrowdStrike, already sponsors the Mercedes Formula 1 team. Last year, both the company and Kurtz were at the centre of global headlines after a software outage locked millions of people and businesses out of their computers worldwide.
How advanced the talks are between Wolff and Kurtz remains unknown, and ESPN did not report whether an agreement is close. It is also unclear why Wolff wants to reduce his stake or how Mercedes management views the situation. When asked by BBC Sport, a Mercedes spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday evening.
Le Mans and Daytona Experience
Kurtz is known as a passionate racer and ambitious amateur driver. He has competed three times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Algarve Pro Racing in LMP2 machinery, sharing the car with Dutchman Nicky Catsburg and Britain’s Alex Quinn. In 2023, he and his teammates won the LMP2 Pro-Am class at Le Mans.
He has also taken part in the 24 Hours of Daytona on four occasions, finishing on the podium in his category three times.
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