Sauber F1 Rebrands as Alfa Romeo Racing

Kick Out Sauber: Stake F1 Team

In the upcoming year, there will be no sight of Alfa Romeo in Formula 1 racing. Last season, the car manufacturing firm made a return to the world of motor sport, but unfortunately their agreement with Sauber need to be curtailed after the final race in Abu Dhabi.

The team are bringing back their Sauber identity for the 2024 campaign, having been rebranded as the ‘Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’ after a tie-up with streaming giant Kick.com. The car they race will be referred to as the ‘Kick Sauber C44’. Though time may be short-lived for the Sauber label, as the gang become part of Audi’s factory setup in 2026.

The advent of Audi on the track will be concurrent with several planned alterations to the F1 engine and chassis rules. Sauber is relying on Ferrari engines up until 2026, when Audi appears with its proprietary power source. Gernot Dollner, the new head of Audi, recently declared a determined oath to enter F1 within two years.

Sauber’s original presence in Formula 1 started back in 1993, existing under its own label before teaming up with BMW in 2006. However, the status of their relationship changed in 2009, and the following year Sauber still fought under its name. Then, in 2011, it disassociated from BMW and raced solely with the Sauber name until 2018 when it created a duo with Alfa Romeo, aptly titled Alfa Romeo Sauber. It was only in 2019 that Sauber disappeared completely, replaced entirely by Alfa Romeo Racing.

Whilst Alfa Romeo will not make a comeback to the track in the forthcoming year, its racers – Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu – are set to stay. All of the teams shall compete with an identical driver lineup for the upcoming season. As for the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, Bottas was placed 15th, earning a total amount of 10 points, and Zhou finishing 18th with 6 points. Alfa Romeo were 9th in the Constructors’ Championship, placing ahead of last-place outfit Hass.

Source: BBC