Mercedes F1 boss Wolff buys shares in Aston Martin

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has bought a stake in British luxury sportscar firm Aston Martin ahead of its return to the Formula 1 grid next year.

It is understood that Wolff’s personal investment is around the region of £37million, equivalent to a 4.77%, though that will be diluted down to 0.95% next week after a pending rights issue.

Wolff, who is out of contract at the end of the year, has been linked with a role at Aston Martin due to his friendship with Canadian business Lawrence Stroll, who owns the Racing Point team that enjoys a close alliance with Mercedes.

Stroll recently became the new CEO of Aston Martin after rescuing the struggling firm in a £536million deal, underpinned by an injection of £260m of new capital from the Stroll-led Yew Tree Consortium.

As a result, Aston Martin will return to the F1 grid in 2021 as a fully fledged works outfit, following a rebrand of the Racing Point squad.

Wolff recently denied speculation that he would take a formal role as CEO of the Aston Martin F1 project. Rumours had accelerated after the Austrian missed a crunch F1 meeting when he travelled back from the abandoned Australian Grand Prix with Stroll.

Despite the new investment, Wolff remains totally committed to Mercedes and it will have no impact on his role within the team.

A Mercedes spokesperson told Crash.net: "Fully diluted following the pending rights issue, this investment will represent a 0.95% stake in the company.

“It is a financial investment and Toto's partnership and executive role with Mercedes are unaffected by the transaction.”

Mercedes’ parent company Daimler is a long term shareholder in Aston Martin and already holds a 5% stake in the firm. The German manufacturer supplies engines to its road cars, meaning there is no conflict of interest.

Wolff, along with six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, is expected to agree to a fresh deal at Mercedes to take his spell at Brackley beyond eight years after arriving from Williams in 2013.

“An operational role on my part at Aston Martin is definitely out of the question,” Wolff told Austrian media earlier this month.

“I am with Mercedes in our eighth year now and I really enjoy working with the people there. At the same time, I discuss our future with Ola Källenius, our joint venture and how we want to continue together.

“The platform is working very well for Mercedes as a brand and therefore everything points to us working together for the next few years.”