Sauber has been told to drop its official team name and related branding at this weekend’s Dutch GP.
For 2024, with the Alfa Romeo naming deal now lapsed, the Swiss outfit decided to adopt a blatant sponsorship approach to its new title - with the online casino Stake taking centre stage.
But the official acronym ’SF1TKS’ - standing for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber - was a clever move amid the reality that Stake, as an online gambling platform, is banned in certain countries.
Switzerland’s federal casino commission even commenced proceeding against Sauber for illegal advertising.
"If Stake is banned, we will have an alternative team name," team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi explained earlier this year. "Depending on the country, we work with Stake or Kick, a different sponsor."
A ’Stake’ ban for the Formula 1 team will definitely apply this weekend at Zandvoort, although with a higher profile compared to similar restrictions in Australia, Spain, Belgium and Qatar this season.
"Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has ordered the organisation of Formula 1 in Zandvoort, the Dutch GP, and the Sauber racing team not to advertise for illegal gambling provider Stake during the event in Zandvoort," the Dutch gaming authority declared in a statement.
"The Ksa ... finds it undesirable that illegal gambling is advertised at a Dutch event with the reach and size of Formula 1, also because the event attracts a lot of attention among vulnerable groups," it added.
"The board of the Ksa has therefore urgently requested both Sauber and the organisation of the Dutch GP not to drive under the name Stake and not to advertise for this provider."