LAS VEGAS (AP) Mercedes team principal and part-owner Toto Wolff has sold 15% of his shareholding of the Formula 1 team to George Kurtz, the CEO and founder of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
Mercedes said the deal makes Kurtz a co-owner of the team that is valued at $6 billion. Wolff was one of three equal owners alongside Mercedes-Benz and INEOS.
The deal was announced ahead of Saturday nights Las Vegas Grand Prix, where Mercedes driver George Russell is the defending race winner.
Kurtz will become technology advisor to Mercedes, as well as join the teams strategic steering committee alongside Wolff, Mercedes-Benz chairman Ola Kallenius, and INEOS founder and chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Wolff will continue as team principal and CEO.
Georges background is unusual in its breadth hes a racer, a loyal sporting ambassador for Mercedes-AMG, and an exceptional entrepreneur, Wolff said. He understands both the demands of racing and the realities of building and scaling technology businesses. That combination brings specific insight that is increasingly relevant to the future of Formula 1.
CrowdStrike became a global partner of Mercedes F1 team in 2019, but Kurtzs purchase into the ownership group was his personally.
Winning in racing and cybersecurity requires speed, precision, and innovation. Milliseconds matter. Execution counts. Data wins, said Kurtz. Technology is reshaping competitive advantage and human capability everywhere, including motorsport. Im excited to help the team securely accelerate forward.
Kurtz is considered a racer and has dabbled in sports car racing since 2016. He has class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 Pro-Am, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Six Hours of the Glen, and he is the two-time winner of both the Indianapolis 8 Hour and 24 Hours of Spa in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Kurtz won the 2023 SRO GT World Challenge America Team & Drivers Championship, the 2023 Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Championship Driver Category, and the 2023-24 Asia Le Mans LMP2 Championship.
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AP auto racing:
拉斯维加斯（美联社）——梅赛德斯车队领队兼股东托托·沃尔夫已将其在F1车队15%的股份出售给网络安全公司CrowdStrike的首席执行官兼创始人乔治·库尔茨。
梅赛德斯表示，这笔交易使库尔茨成为这支估值60亿美元车队的共同所有者。沃尔夫此前与梅赛德斯-奔驰和英力士集团同为三大平等股东。
该协议在周六晚间的拉斯维加斯大奖赛前宣布，梅赛德斯车手乔治·拉塞尔是本站赛事的卫冕冠军。
库尔茨将担任梅赛德斯的技术顾问，并与沃尔夫、梅赛德斯-奔驰董事长康林松以及英力士创始人兼董事长吉姆·拉特克利夫爵士一同加入该公司的战略指导委员会。
沃尔夫将继续担任车队领队兼首席执行官。
沃尔夫表示："乔治的背景非同寻常，他既是赛车手，又是梅赛德斯-AMG忠实的体育大使，同时还是一位杰出的企业家。他既了解赛车运动的要求，也深谙科技企业创建与扩张的现实情况。这种独特的经历为他带来了对F1未来发展趋势极具价值的深刻见解。"
CrowdStrike于2019年成为梅赛德斯F1车队的全球合作伙伴，但库尔茨（Kurtz）入股该车队所有权集团是其个人行为。
库尔茨表示：“在赛车和网络安全领域获胜，需要速度、精准和创新能力。毫秒必争，执行关键，数据制胜。技术正在重塑包括赛车运动在内的各领域竞争优势和人类能力。我很荣幸能助力团队安全加速前行。”
库尔茨（Kurtz）是一名职业赛车手，自2016年起涉足跑车赛事。他曾在勒芒24小时耐力赛LMP2 Pro-Am组、赛百灵12小时耐力赛、小勒芒赛事以及格伦6小时耐力赛中斩获组别冠军，并两度驾驶梅赛德斯-AMG GT3赛车问鼎印第安纳波利斯8小时耐力赛及斯帕24小时耐力赛。
库尔茨斩获了2023年SRO GT世界挑战赛美国站车队及车手总冠军、2023年梅赛德斯-AMG客户赛车锦标赛车手组别冠军，以及2023-24亚洲勒芒系列赛LMP2组别冠军。
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