Crypto casino lands new Formula One naming rights
A Formula One team will bear the name of a top crypto casino for the next two seasons.
Stake, which is one of the most popular online sports betting and crypto casino sites in the world, first announced a link with the Sauber/Alfa Romeo team for the 2023 campaign.
With Alfa Romeo having since rebranded back to Sauber for the coming season, it has been confirmed that a two-year extension has been agreed with Stake, including naming rights.
“Last season represented the start of Stake’s journey in Formula 1, and the brand’s new role headlining Stake F1 Team represents the natural and exciting next step on this path,” said Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi in a statement to announce the move.
“Stake not only successfully tapped into Formula 1’s growing fan base to enhance its own community; but also introduced a completely new audience to the sport, something that benefitted not only our team but also everyone else in F1.”
The Stake F1 team will line up on the grid for the first time in Bahrain on March 2, but there are questions over how the car will look for certain races in places where gambling ads are banned.
Last season saw the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake line up with branding from streaming platform Kick, which has close links to the crypto casino site. The Stake F1 team is therefore expected to swap the name of the crypto casino for Kick again for a handful of races in the coming season.
Like many top crypto casinos, Stake has used sports sponsorships and brand ambassadors in order to build its public profile across the globe. As well as sponsoring English football teams such as Watford and Everton, Stake has a deal in place with the ex-Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, the Indian-Canadian rapper Karan Aujla and the Canadian rap star Drake, who will be expected to appear at GP meetings with the team.
Swiss-owned Sauber arrived on the F1 grid for the first time in 1993 but gave their naming right over to the Italian car brand Alfa Romeo in time for the 2019 season to get up and running. Sauber is set to become Audi’s factory Formula 1 team when the German firm arrives in 2026.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, as it was known last season, finished ninth in the constructors’ championship having amassed just 16 points. The Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and his Chinese team-mate Zhou Guanyu have been retained and will race for the third straight season this year.
