Toto Wolff confirms Mercedes project on Alpine but denies interest in junior team. Toto Wolff confirms Mercedes’ plan to acquire a minority stake in Alpine.

Toto Wolff has confirmed the existence of a project to acquire 24% of Alpine, currently held by the private equity fund Otro Capital, while making it clear that Mercedes has no plans to establish a junior Formula 1 team.

Alpine: Mercedes’ offer confirmed

In recent days, significant rumors have emerged regarding the offer for the 24% stake in Alpine, currently owned by Otro Capital. Initially, the interest in this share—which had also attracted the attention of Chris Horner—seemed to be an individual initiative by Toto Wolff. However, the offer is meant to extend to Mercedes as a whole, of which Wolff is co-owner. Essentially, the team aims to acquire Alpine’s minority stake, as confirmed by Flavio Briatore. This stake will go to the highest bidder: other interested parties, including Horner’s consortium, are reportedly ready to pay around $450 million.

However, if Mercedes were to outmaneuver the former rival—free to return to Formula 1 from May—it could spark controversy over multi-ownership issues, similar to those previously raised in the Red Bull-Racing Bulls case. Wolff, confirming the Alpine project, immediately sought to downplay such concerns, explicitly denying any interest in creating a B-team.

Wolff’s comments

“As a shareholder in Williams, I’ve understood very well that I would never want anyone interfering or telling me what to do in terms of driver choices or other important decisions,” the Austrian told L’Équipe.

“Mercedes is not interested in having a junior team, and I would never want one. That is absolutely not the point of the Mercedes project—end of story.”

Toto Wolff’s statements clarify that while Mercedes is exploring investment opportunities in Alpine, the focus remains entirely on strengthening the main Formula 1 team, avoiding any issues related to team hierarchies or multi-ownership controversies.