Officially, the team will head into the 2024 season known as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber after title partner Alfa Romeo ended its relationship with the team.
That followed Audi taking on an increasing stake in the operation ahead of it being rebranded in the German car company’s image for 2026.
Sauber’s interim name was revealed courtesy of the FIA entry list and has come under fire for its complexity.
That has prompted the team to take to social media to address the issue.
“It seems our recently released team name has been getting a lot of attention,” the message wrote.
“While we’re not ready to unveil the final result yet, we are aware of what’s at stake.
Secure your spot today.
“Rest assured, we’re on a mission to unleash the most exciting team identity this team has ever seen.
“Gone are the days of short and sweet. We’re cooking up a feast.”
While the name above the door has changed several times, the current team can trace its F1 roots back to 1993, when Peter Sauber entered the sport with JJ Lehto and Karl Wendlinger.
The Sauber team brought with it Mercedes-Benz, courtesy of a long-established relationship in sportscar racing, the German marque having been absent from F1 in any capacity since 1955.
In its early seasons, the squad boasted Red Bull sponsorship before being bought out by BMW in 2006, at which point it became the BMW Sauber F1 Team.
The race team remained in situ in Switzerland, however, with ownership reverting to Peter Sauber when BMW pulled the pin at the end of 2009.
That created a curious instance where the BMW Sauber F1 Team, as it was known in 2010, was powered by Ferrari engines.
A tumultuous period followed, with the squad never reaching the front-running heights it did under BMW’s ownership in the mid-2000s.
Peter Sauber sold out again in 2016 to Longbow Finance, headed by billionaire Finn Rausing who propped up the team for a time.
In 2018, the squad carried Alfa Romeo backing, adding the Italian car company’s name to its official team name to become the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team.
A year later, the Sauber name was dropped entirely, though under the skin it remained Sauber Motorsport, with the deal nothing more than a commercial rebranding.
That is the name it has reverted to for 2024, albeit with the addition of two (linked) commercial partners.
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