Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff invests $15.7 million in Aston Martin
Struggling British car maker gets investment boost from Formula One champion team boss.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team chief Toto Wolff has invested in struggling English supercar brand Aston Martin.
The Austrian’s investment – reportedly in the vicinity of £8 million (AU$15.7 million) – represents a 4.77 per cent ownership of Aston Martin for Wolff, however Reuters reports that stake will be reduced to approximately 0.95 per cent later this week following the finalisation of other investor fundings.
Wolff joins Canadian businessman and owner of Racing Point F1 team Lawrence Stroll as the second key F1 personality to invest in the iconic British sports car maker, the latter injecting £182 million (AU$358 million) into the brand earlier this year.
Above: Aston Martin Valkyrie and Valhalla
Mercedes-AMG's Formula One team – which Wolff holds a 30 per cent stake in and serves as its principal – claims Wolff’s investment in Aston Martin is merely financial, with his “partnership and executive role with Mercedes … unaffected by the transaction.”
However, that hasn’t stopped paddock pundits speculating about how the relationship between the Mercedes and Racing Point teams will be affected, given the latter is set to be renamed Aston Martin F1 from the 2021 season onwards – and already uses Mercedes-designed power units and gearboxes.
Wolff's investment comes as Aston Martin nears release of its Valkyrie model and continues development of its Valhalla. Last month, the brand released details of its first in-house designed 'TM01' engine.
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