F1 team forced to contend with Australian Grand Prix ban

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F1 team forced to contend with Australian Grand Prix ban

The team are backed into a Melbourne rethink

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 21 March 2024 07:47 Updated: 21:15

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A Formula 1 team will be forced to change their name at the Australian Grand Prix, due to strict rules.

In an off-season full of much-talked about name changes, one team appeared to rebrand themselves twice, with their original name change being ridiculed on social media.

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Eventually, the Sauber-owned team settled for simply Stake F1, but there was more drama still to come.

It was revealed that the team would need to change their name throughout the season, with strict gambling rules in certain countries restricting their use of 'Stake' at certain race weekends.

At these races, the team will be known instead as Kick Sauber.

Stake F1 are repping a bold livery this season

Alessandro Alunni Bravi is the team's representative

F1 team to change name

One such race includes the Australian GP, where F1 heads this weekend, with the Albert Park Circuit ready to host the third race of the 2024 season.

Speaking to media ahead of the season, team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi explained: "Last year, we alternated to different team names according to the different countries where we go racing.

"We will be fully compliant with all the local applicable laws and where Stake is permitted. So where gambling advertising is prohibited, we will use a different name.

"As last year, we have Kick as one of our most important partners - the car launch was streamed live on Kick.com, our chassis name is Kick Sauber, so where we will not be racing as Stake, we will use the second team name."

The Sauber-owned team are currently in a two-year holding phase, with Audi set to take over the outfit in 2026.