Sauber has been instructed to remove its official team name and associated branding for the upcoming Dutch GP.
In 2024, following the expiration of the Alfa Romeo naming rights deal, the Swiss team opted for a direct sponsorship approach, prominently featuring the online casino Stake in its new title.
However, the official acronym 'SF1TKS', which stands for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, was strategically chosen in light of the fact that Stake, as an online gambling platform, faces prohibitions in several countries.
The Swiss federal casino commission has even initiated actions against Sauber for what it sees as illegal advertising.
"If Stake is banned, we will have an alternative team name," team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi stated earlier this year. "Depending on the country, we work with Stake or Kick, a different sponsor."
This weekend at Zandvoort, a 'Stake' ban will be enforced, albeit more prominently compared to similar bans experienced in Australia, Spain, Belgium, and Qatar earlier this season.
"Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has ordered the organization 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 announced.
"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," the statement continued.
"The board of the Ksa has therefore urgently requested both Sauber and the organization of the Dutch GP not to drive under the name Stake and not to advertise for this provider," it concluded.
