Stake’s technical director James Key called their 2024 challenger for the Formula 1 Championship a “tough and ambitious project.”
The team officially launched on Monday evening, revealing a shocking, green-and-black livery during a livestream on the Kick platform, property of their new title sponsor Stake.
During the event, technical director James Key said that “the team had to take an ambitious direction well before I joined. There are many mechanical changes, some of which you can’t see at all, but some are very visible.”
Key joined Stake on September of last year, when it was still Sauber.
“The front suspension is completely new, a tough and ambitious project for a team of our size.
“There are many aerodynamic changes, of course, as would be expected given that this remains the primary area of development – so, overall, the car will look quite different to last year’s car.
“We took a lot of new, exciting directions, all of which appear to hold quite a bit of potential, so we’re looking forward to seeing them on track.”
A new identity
The team rebranded from Sauber to Stake for the 2024 season, thanks to a new title sponsorship deal.
Stake is an online casino launched in 2017, and has already sponsored the Swiss squad before through KICK, their online livestreaming platform that’s similar to competitors Twitch.
When speaking about the new identity, team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said that the “partnership will help us reach a new audience and expand our fan base. It also gives us a way to have a fresh and innovative approach in the way we communicate.”
“There are changes in other areas. We are developing our team structure, strengthening our personnel, and this implies work is ongoing in Hinwil in all areas. It’s a new exciting era for our team,” he added.
However, Alunni Bravi issued a warning: “The start of this new era doesn’t mean we’ll get better performance immediately,” he said.
“Everything we have done during this winter, however, makes us optimistic that we can make a step forward.”
The road to Ingolstadt
Stake will become Audi’s works team in 2026, and Alunni Bravi said that the organization will “undergo a big transformation process towards” it.
“Our focus, though, is on the here and now. We know that it is important to lay the foundations of our team every day. This is why we are working very hard to improve all the areas of our organization, under the leadership of Andreas Seidl.”