The Stake F1 Team branding under which Sauber launched its entry for the 2024 Formula 1 season will not be used at every round of the world championship due to gambling laws.
The team previously known as Alfa Romeo has lost the backing of the car manufacturer this year, ahead of the arrival of Audi as its new engine supplier from the 2026 season.
The Sauber Group has agreed a branding deal with sponsor Stake, under which the team has appeared on the official FIA F1 entry list for 2024 as Stake F1 Team. Its chassis is called a ‘Kick Sauber’, referring to another brand which shares ownership with Stake.
As the Stake gambling brand cannot be promoted in some territories, Sauber will use a different name at those rounds. Stake was also a title sponsor of Alfa Romeo last year, and was replaced by ‘Kick’ in the team’s official title at rounds where it could not appear.
The situation also arose last year. The team was entered as ‘Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’ for the opening rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, then became ‘Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick’ for the Australian Grand Prix, and continued to change between different territories. Without ‘Alfa Romeo’ in the team’s name this year, the distinction between ‘Stake F1 Team’ and its as-yet-unannounced alternative is likely to be more noticeable.
“We were Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake in certain countries and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick [elsewhere],” team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi told media including RaceFans at the team’s launch in London today.
“We will have also this year two different team names according to the different countries where we are going to race in order to comply with applicable local laws. Where Stake is prohibited because there are restrictions on gambling advertising we will use Kick within our team name.
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“As you know Kick is also our chassis naming rights partner because our chassis is Kick Sauber. So we will have a second team name that we are going to present soon. Of course, we know that there are countries where we cannot display the Stake brand.”
Sauber revealed a striking new green livery to accompany its change of name this year. However as it will become Audi’s works team in 2026, it is likely to prove short-lived.
However Alunni Bravi said the team needed to make a clear break from its previous branding. “For us it was important after six years with Alfa Romeo to really establish a new team…
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