Endurance racer, George Kurtz has acquired a 15% minority ownership stake in Mercedes and has been appointed Technology Advisor.
Kurtz won the Pro-Am Class at 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans and is also CEO plus founder of CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity technology company, and has now acquired a 15% minority stake in Mercedes’ ownership controlled by Toto Wolff, who owns a third of the team alongside Mercedes-Benz and INEOS.
As part of his stake, Kurtz will also sit on Mercedes’ strategic steering committee alongside Mercedes Benz’ Chairman of the Board of Management, Ola Källenius, with INEOS’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Wolff also on the committee.
Kurtz will also act as Technology Advisor which will see him focus on ‘intersection of competitive motorsport, data analytics, and performance.
“Winning in racing and cybersecurity requires speed, precision, and innovation. Milliseconds matter. Execution counts. Data wins,” commented Kurtz. “Technology is reshaping competitive advantage and human capability everywhere, including motorsport. I’m excited to help the team securely accelerate forward.”
Wolff added that Kurtz’s unconventional background will bring an insight that will benefit the team going forward.
George’s background is unusual in its breadth: he’s a racer, a loyal sporting ambassador for Mercedes-AMG, and an exceptional entrepreneur.
“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 One.”
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