Who Is The Richest Owner In Formula One?

Due to the immense costs of competing in Formula One, it’s understandable that Formula One teams require wealthy shareholders and/or owners if they want to remain competitive. So who is the wealthiest Formula One team owner?

The richest Formula One team owner is Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz. Dietrich Mateschitz is the founder and owner of Red Bull GmbH, which includes Red Bull Racing and Alpha Tauri as subsidiaries. Other notable Formula One team owners are Gene Haas, Toto Wolff, and Lawrence Stroll.

While Dietrich Mateschitz may be the wealthiest Formula One team owner, it’s essential to understand the structure of Formula One team ownership before we look at the wealthiest individual Formula One team owners.

If you’re looking for some F1 merchandise, check out the awesome stuff at the official F1 store here.

Which Formula One Teams Are Publically Owned?

Although single individuals can own Formula One teams, it is just as common for Formula One teams to be owned by the shareholders of public/listed companies. Therefore, some major Formula One teams like Ferrari, McClaren, and Alpine do not have individual owners.

Furthermore, some teams fall under the ownership of another Formula One team or a larger motorcar brand. For example, Alpha Tauri is owned by Red Bull (hence some people even colloquially refer to Alpha Tauri teams as Redbull’s “B-team.”)

Who Are The Richest Formula One Team Owners?

Four of the wealthiest Formula One team owners currently include:

Dietrich Mateschitz,
Lawrence Stroll,
Toto Wolff,
Gene Haas.

1. Dietrich Mateschitz

Born in Austria in 1944, Dietrich Mateschitz is known for cofounding Red Bull GmbH with Chaleo Yoovidhya in 1984. Upon launching the brand in Austria in 1987, Red Bull became the world’s largest energy drink company.

Using the profits and brand recognition from the Red Bull energy drink, the company expanded into extreme sports; one of the most successful ventures was founding Red Bull Racing in 2005.

Red Bull Racing continues to produce excellent results since its founding, including but not limited to:

222 podiums,
84 race victories,
Four Constructor’s Championships, and
Five Drivers’ Championships.

In conclusion, the success of Red Bull as a company and Red Bull Racing (to which Dietrich Mateschitz is the founder and majority shareholder) has secured Dietrich Mateschitz a total net worth of over $25.4 billion.

2. Lawrence Stroll

Born in Canada in 1959, Lawrence Sheldon Strulovic (better known as Lawrence Stroll) is a majority shareholder in Aston Martin and the owner of the Aston Martin Formula One team (which his son Lance Stroll races for.)

As the son of an established fashion wear mogul responsible for bringing Ralph Lauren to Canada, Lawrence Stroll expanded on his father’s business by extending Ralph Lauren’s jurisdiction into Europe.

Further fashion and jewelry investments by Lawrence Stroll include Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Sportswear Holdings, and Asprey & Garrand.

Consequently, Lawrence Stroll’s investment in Formula One extends from his passion for motor vehicles. He owns multiple luxury cars and the Circuit Mont-Tremblant racing track in Quebec, Canada.

Lawrence Stroll began his investment in Formula One by purchasing the Force India Formula One team before rebranding to Aston Martin because of Lawrence Stroll’s 16.7% stake in the company.

Lawrence Stroll is estimated to have a net worth of over $2.9 billion at the time of writing.

3. Toto Wolff

Born in Germany in 1972, Torger Christian Wolff (better known as Toto Wolff) is a former racing driver, investor, motorsports executive, and the Mercedes Formula One team principal.

Although Mercedes’ Formula One team is technically owned by the Mercedes Benz brand, it is crucial to understand how the team ownership is divided and why Toto Wolff can be considered a majority shareholder/owner of the team (while also fulfilling the role of team principal.)

As of 2021, the Mercedes Formula One Team is owned in equal parts by Daimler AG, INEOS, and Toto Wolff (While Toto Wolff was a significant shareholder in Williams racing, the majority shares were eventually sold to US investment firm Dorilton Capital 2020.)

Therefore, because Toto Wolff is the only “natural person” in the three-way ownership division with two juristic persons, many people consider Toto Wolff as an equal co-owner of the Mercedes Formula One team.

Toto Wolff is hailed as one of the best Formula One principals of all time. Since joining Mercedes in 2013, Mercedes have enjoyed a winning percentage of 59%, the most notable being the turbo-hybrid regulations introduced in 2014.

Since 2014, Mercedes have won 111 of 173 races, including 119 pole positions, 73 front-row lockouts, and 243 out of a possible 346 podiums. The success of these statistics includes:

Eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships, and
Seven consecutive Drivers’ Championships under Lewis Hamilton.

At the time of writing, Toto Wolff has signed a new contract as team principal of the Mercedes Formula One team until 2023 and has a net worth of approximately $1.25 billion.

4. Gene Haas

Born Eugene Francis Haas in 1952 in Ohio, America (better known as “Gene Haas), he is the founder, president, and sole shareholder of Haas Automation. Haas Automation is a computer numerical controlled (CNC) tool manufacturer with regional headquarters in India, Belgium, and China.

Due to the company’s global reach and success in producing affordable, high-end equipment, Gene Haas and, by extension Haas Automation turned their attention to motor racing.

The first racing venture began in 2002 when Haas formed a NASCAR team. Following the success of the team under the driver and partnership share of Tony Stewart from 2008, Haas turned their attention toward Formula One in 2014.

Despite varying degrees of success and failure in Formula One, Haas continues to be a presence on the grid with some impressive middle-order finishes under the leadership of team Principal Gunther Steiner.

At the time of writing, Gene Haas has an estimated net worth of $250 million.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while success in Formula One is not only about a team’s finances, there’s no denying the positive impact of a wealthy owner with personal and financial interests in a Formula One team!