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

It is understood that Wolff’s🐲 personal investment is arounꦿd 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 a﷽fter 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 f🐷ully 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 F🦩1 meeting when he travelled back from the abandoned Australian Grand Prix with Stroll.

Despite the new investment, Wolff rem🌊ains totally committed to Mercedes and it will have no impact on his rol🦂e within the team.

A Mercedes spokesperson told wuqi👍an0821.com: "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 partnersꦬhip 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. Th𝐆e German manufacturไer supplies engines to its road cars, meaning there is no conflict of interest.

Wolff, along with six-time world champion Lewis H🧜amilton, is expected to agree to a fresh deal at Mercedes to take his spell at B🥂rackley 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 ear🐼lier this month.

“I am with Mercedes in our eighth year now and I really enjoyꦛ 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.”