Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff sells a piece of his ownership stake to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz

Mercedes-AMG Petronas CEO Toto Wolff has sold a portion of his holdings to CrowdStrike founder and CEO George Kurtz, who acquired a 15% stake in Wolff’s ownership entity (equating to a 5% interest in the team); Mercedes-Benz and INEOS each retain one-third and a person familiar with the deal said it values the team at about $6 billion, though financial terms were not disclosed. Kurtz — whose company has partnered with the team since 2019 — will serve as a technology advisor on a committee with Wolff, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius and INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe, aiming to deepen AI, data analytics and cybersecurity capabilities and to expand U.S. and global tech partnerships. The investment reflects the sport’s growing tech-driven development and U.S. popularity and supports Mercedes’ bid to regain competitiveness ahead of the 2026 regulation and engine overhaul, while team governance remains unchanged.

Analysis

Mercedes-AMG Petronas CEO Toto Wolff sold a portion of his holdings to CrowdStrike founder George Kurtz; Kurtz acquired a 15% stake in Wolff’s controlled ownership entity (equating to a 5% interest in the team) and a person familiar with the matter told CNBC the deal values the team at $6 billion, though financial terms were not disclosed. Mercedes confirmed governance remains unchanged and said Kurtz will join a senior committee alongside Ola Källenius, Jim Ratcliffe and Wolff and serve as a technology advisor focused on data analytics, AI and expanding U.S. and global tech partnerships.

CrowdStrike has partnered with Mercedes since 2019 and currently provides AI-powered protection for the team’s infrastructure, positioning Kurtz to accelerate simulation and AI-led development as F1 becomes more tech-driven. The minority nature of the stake (5% of the team) limits control shifts but increases commercial and cybersecurity collaboration potential between an enterprise security vendor and a global sports franchise.

The move comes as Mercedes seeks a competitive rebound after losing ground to McLaren and Red Bull and ahead of a 2026 technical and engine overhaul that includes a 50% electric engine component and 100% sustainable fuel; rising U.S. interest in F1 (Netflix, Apple, three U.S. races, new Cadillac team) amplifies the commercial upside. Market signals show mildly positive sentiment and modest market impact, implying strategic but not transformational financial news absent further monetization details.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors in CrowdStrike (CRWD) should view the deal as strategically positive for long-term commercial opportunities and consider maintaining or modestly increasing exposure while monitoring concrete partnership monetization or revenue links
• Private market and sports-asset investors should treat the reported $6 billion valuation as a useful benchmark but exercise caution given undisclosed terms and Kurtz’s effective 5% ownership, avoid pricing in immediate upside from the headline alone
• Thematic investors focused on automotive tech, AI and cybersecurity should track announcements around AI/data commercialization, sponsorships and U.S. partnership expansion as leading indicators of revenue upside
• Maintain disciplined position sizing and consider hedges ahead of 2026 regulation-driven uncertainty in on-track competitiveness; require clearer financial disclosures or commercialization milestones before taking larger directional bets