Sauber unveils new name for 2024 season
The former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team will operate under the name Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber for the next two seasons, before Audi takes over in 2026.
The online gaming company, Stake, will remain as the title sponsor, while the streaming company, Kick.com, has increased its involvement and acquired the naming rights of the chassis, which will be known as the KICK Sauber C44 in 2024.
The team used the name Alfa Romeo from 2019 to 2023, with Sauber Motorsport remaining in the background as the company operating the team. However, the acquisition of the Sauber group by Audi made it impossible for Alfa Romeo to remain involved, and the agreement was not renewed at the end of the contract. The name Sauber will now return to the forefront for the two interim seasons in 2024 and 2025.
In January, the team announced its first agreements with Stake as the title sponsor alongside Alfa Romeo and Kick as major partner.
Stake and Kick.com share a common Australian ownership, although they are independent companies. This year, the latter’s logo replaced Stake’s in certain races, notably in Australia, Spain, Belgium, and Qatar. A special livery was used at the Spa event. It is understood that on the same basis, the team will likely officially race under the name Kick Formula 1 Team Sauber in certain races in 2024.
« “Sauber has always been focused on innovation, challenging conventions,” said Alessandro Alunni Bravi, representative of the Sauber team. « “The partnership with Kick.com is the most recent and boldest demonstration of the philosophy that drives us.”
« Kick.com is redefining the way live streaming is done and will adopt the same disruptive approach in the world of F1. With Kick.com, our goal is to take it a step further by finding new and innovative ways to connect with our fans.
Bijan Tehrani, co-founder of Kick.com, added: “« Kick has experienced significant growth since its inception and continues to make waves in the streaming industry ».”
« The content of Kick is fast-paced and engaging, just like what we witness every Grand Prix weekend. Just like this partnership, Kick was primarily intended for the race circuits. […] We are delighted to take our collaboration to an unprecedented scale, supported by our understanding of motorsport culture and our passion for cutting-edge technologies. »
