F1 team ‘planning to race under TWO names to avoid huge fine’ in history-making decision
THE new Stake F1 team could use TWO names to escape a huge fine.
The Sauber outfit’s sponsorship from crypto casino operator Stake has created a dilemma with Swiss authorities.
And PlanetF1 suggest the team has come up with an innovative solution ahead of the 2024 season, starting in Bahrain on March 2.
The official name of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber will be cut to the more relaxed “Stake F1 Team” for most venues.
But where gambling advertising is banned, an even more colloquial name will be used – the Kick F1 Team.
It’s a far more serious matter than the lively debate on social media earlier this week over the dramatic look of Sauber’s new car for this year.
The C44’s brash, lime design was compared to a cross between a Ninja Turtle and The Transformers.
Now the sponsorship saga is proving a headache for the team, which was backed by Alfa Romeo in the past and will be rebranded as Audi from 2026.
Sauber’s home country Switzerland is one of the nations with strict controls over gambling ads.
Such sponsorship is only allowed if the company has a licence – which Stake does not.
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Other problems include the fact Stake does not advertise to its country’s consumers and is not even accessible there.
It’s understood breaching the rules can mean a fine of 500.000 Swiss francs – about £460k.
Swiss publication SRF quote Zurich-based Patrick Krauskopf, Head of the Centre for Competition and Commercial Law as saying: “Sponsorship would be permitted.
“In this case, however, the Stake and Sauber brands are so closely linked and the term Stake is so strongly imprinted in the minds of viewers that we have probably crossed the red line into unauthorised advertising.”
It means the Swiss Federal Gaming Board is probing Sauber’s general agreement with Stake – but PlanetF1.com believes this is just a routine check.