Sauber can enjoy the F1 team for another two years before it becomes an Audi factory team. For some extra money, the name of the racing team was not simply 'Sauber' but 'Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber'. A bit as if Verstappen would drive for Toto Bitcoin Twitch Red Bull Racing next year, to name a few. The team and sponsor also found this confusing and so there is a new name: Stake F1. But that name can change per race.
Last season, the names Stake and Kick were frequently used on Alfa's Formula 1 car. At Stake you can gamble online, but only with cryptocurrency. Kick is an online platform where gamers can share live which game they are playing and is owned by the same owner as Stake. The new name of the Sauber F1 team not only creates a cupboard full of potential puns, but also potential problems in different countries.
Gambling advertising is not allowed everywhere
Gambling advertising is banned in 8 of the 24 countries that F1 wants to visit in 2024. Now, racing teams have often been creative in circumventing advertising codes. Just think of it Mission Winnow from Marlboro to Ferrari. There is also a solution ready for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. In countries where Stake F1 is not allowed, the team may be called Kick F1 Team.
Formula1.nl writes that the team will actually be called Kick at the eight Grands Prix where Stake is not allowed to be the title sponsor. No official messages have yet emerged from the racing team or the FIA confirming this. So don't see it as a fait accompli, but as a possibility of how Alfa, er, Sauber, er, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber can get out of this.
What would Sauber F1 be called during the GP of the Netherlands and Belgium?
According to PlanetF1 Sauber is not allowed to use the name Stake at the races in Bahrain, Brazil, China, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, the team is called Kick. In Zandvoort, Stake may be the title sponsor until January 1, 2025. After this, all 'untargeted gambling advertisements and sponsorship' will be banned in the Netherlands.
In Belgium there has still been a lot of work on sponsoring gambling companies in sports. Cycling teams had to remove the names of gambling companies from team clothing since July 1, 2023. If you kept them, then… nothing. Violations will only be punished from 2025 onwards. This year, Stake can also remain on the car in Belgium without having to pay a penalty.
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