Who Kicked Sauber? F1 team gets weird name after Alfa Romeo withdraws

File picture: DPPI via AFP.

File picture: DPPI via AFP.

Published Dec 18, 2023

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The departure of title sponsor Alfa Romeo means the Sauber Formula One team will be rebranded 'Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber' in 2024, according to the official lists released by the FIA on Friday.

A rebrand was in order following the announcement last month that Alfa Romeo, early pioneers of F1 who came back into the sport in 2018, were once again pulling back.

The exact name for 2024 has yet to be decided by the Swiss team, which will carry the name of two of its sponsors already visible on the single-seater for the next two seasons.

Stake is an Australian online casino and sports betting site while Kick is a video streaming service owned by the founders of Stake and boasting 22 million registered users since its launch last year.

“Sauber has always been about innovation, breaking the mould and defying convention,” said Sauber Motorsport Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

“The partnership with Kick.com is the latest and boldest display of the philosophy that drives us."

Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas will remain the team's two drivers next year and their cars will continue to be powered by Ferrari until the arrival of Audi in 2026.

Agence France-Presse