The team representative, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, unveiled their new design at the historic Guildhall in London’s financial district. According to Bravi, the team’s identity will be altered for specific races. Previously known as Alfa Romeo, the Swiss-based team will now be called F1 Team Stake for the 2024 and 2025 seasons before transitioning into the Audi factory team in 2026.
Bravi explained, “Last year, we had two different team names – Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake in certain countries and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick.” He further added, “This year, we will also have two different team names depending on the countries where we race, in order to comply with local laws. In regions where gambling advertising is restricted, we will use Kick in our team name.”
The team’s official chassis name is Kick Sauber, but Bravi mentioned that the formal second name will be revealed soon. The naming rights for the chassis have been acquired by Kick.com, an Australian online live streaming platform owned by Easygo Entertainment Pty Ltd, which also owns Stake.com.
Despite the rebranding, the team’s lineup remains unchanged with Guanyu Zhou from China and Valtteri Bottas from Finland. They aim to improve upon their ninth-place finish from the previous season. The new C44 car will feature a black and Fluo Racing Green livery, with technical director James Key stating that it is more refined and aggressive compared to last year’s model.
Key, who joined the team from McLaren in 2023, expressed his excitement about the new car, saying, “It’s a more advanced and ambitious car with greater potential.” The car will undergo a shakedown in Barcelona on Friday before further testing in Bahrain.
Bottas shared his thoughts on the new car, stating, “The new C44 definitely feels different, both in terms of appearance and performance expectations. As a team, we need to maximize the potential of this package, which shows great promise. Nothing else matters.” (Reporting by Alan Baldwin)
