Formula 1 (F1) motor racing team Sauber Motorsport has revealed that it will alternate between two different team names throughout the season, depending on the locale of the given race weekend.
The team, which ended its association with the Alfa Romeo car manufacturer at the end of the 2023 F1 season, will be jointly title-sponsored by gambling firm Stake, and its video-game-focused streaming platform Kick.
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While Sauber is officially called Stake F1 team, multiple events on the elite-tier racing series’ calendar through 2024 take place in countries that have outlawed the promotion of gambling and sports betting firms, meaning that the Stake branding will not be allowed to be displayed.
Instead in these countries, for example, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, alternate car liveries utilizing Kick branding and the name of the team itself will be changed at such events to omit any references to Stake.
The news comes as it has been revealed that the team is facing a legal penalty in Switzerland over the Stake partnership.
The team is based in Switzerland, where gambling promotion is heavily regulated, but Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the team’s representative, stated his belief that it is compliant with all laws and regulations.
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By GlobalDataSauber has also removed all references to the Stake brand on its website and it is not listed among the team’s partners, although Kick is.
The announcement means it will be the second such season where the Sauber team will alternate between team names through the season. In 2023 Stake was also a title sponsor of the team, although not the primary sponsor, and as such required omission in certain countries.
Sauber has raced in F1 since 1993, and currently utilizes Ferrari engines, with Audi set to take over the team’s engine production from the onset of new regulations in 2026.
With two seasons between the end of the team’s relationship with Alfa Romeo and the beginning of its partnership with Audi, the team has looked to build its brand around Kick and Stake, with Audi reluctant to take on a role as a title partner of the team until it has fully entered F1 as an engine producer, wherein it will likely become a title partner of Sauber.
Stake’s title partnership with Sauber is set to last until the end of the 2025 season.
