The conclusion of the 2023 season marked the end of the Sauber F1 team’s iconic six-year partnership with title sponsor Alfa Romeo. Now, American oil company Sunoco will join forces with the Sauber F1 team from 2024 onwards. Sunoco is one of the biggest companies in this space with a whopping market cap of over $6 billion.
However, it’s pertinent to note that Alfa Romeo isn’t the only brand that has ended its partnership with Sauber F1. The team has also lost out on Ferrari, Delsey, and Salt, among various others.
Sauber have lost their previous title partner heading into 2024, with Alfa Romeo departing the team after spending six years together.
Sunoco, the largest independent fuel supplier in the US, has joined the team – as have Beyond Nations and Scania.@StakeF1Team #F1 pic.twitter.com/0HqUMJw6GE
— Decalspotters (@decalspotters) February 17, 2024
While Sauber F1 has lost out on a few sponsors, they have also gained some others. Other than Sunoco, Beyond Nations, and Scania will also partner with the Swiss-based team from 2024 onwards.
Beyond Nations is a multimedia mobile-first experiences company, whereas Scania is a Swedish company that provides transport solutions. Scania is owned by the Volkswagen Group.
Meanwhile, when it comes to fuel suppliers, Sunoco is one of the many that sponsor an F1 team. Elsewhere, Petronas sponsors the Mercedes F1 team, Shell sponsors the Scuderia Ferrari team, and Mobil sponsors the Red Bull Racing side.
Kick is now Sauber F1’s new title sponsor
After the partnership with Alfa Romeo ended at the end of last year, Kick will now be Sauber F1’s new title sponsor. The chassis of the team will now be called Kick Sauber C44. Meanwhile, the full name of the team is now Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.
Although Stake is no longer the chassis sponsor of the Sauber F1 team, they are yet one of the partners of the Swiss team. Hence, the gambling company’s name is included in the full name of the team but not the chassis name.
Sauber F1’s deal with Stake has also got them in trouble in Switzerland due to the country’s gambling laws. According to business-standard.com, Stake’s online gambling website did not receive approval to operate in Switzerland. Since Stake had already formed a partnership with Sauber at the time, the Hinwil-based team needed to provide clarification.
While doing so, Sauber Motorsport AG simply issued an e-mail statement. A snippet of it read, “Sauber Motorsport AG have always complied and continue to comply with all existing regulations, both Swiss and of whichever country we race in“.
In case the authorities deem Stake guilty of violating the law, a report from Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) suggests that the gambling company then may need to pay a whopping fine of $567,708 (500,000 Swiss francs – CHF). This will not bode well for Sauber F1 either since Stake is one of their leading partners.
