F1 2024 car launch: Stake F1 Sauber car reveal timings, where to watch, and more
The Stake F1 Sauber Team will be launching their 2024 F1 car on Monday, February 5, at 7 pm GMT.
Haas have already launched their car on February 2 and Stake F1 Sauber's launch will be preceded by Williams on February 5. McLaren and Mercedes, meanwhile, will be revealing their cars later on February 14 — the day after Ferrari's launch.
Back on January 1, 2024, Stake F1 Sauber announced their new team and car name, logo, and car launch date. The C44 will be unveiled in London, UK. Since the team has a partnership with the popular streaming service Kick.com, the event will be streamed on the platform in its entirety.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will be present during the launch, along with several other important team figures. Since the team has completely rebranded itself, the livery could be miles different from what it was in 2023, when Sauber had Alfa Romeo's sponsorship.
After the launch, several videos and photos will be posted on the team's social media platforms.
Only time will tell how the Swiss team will perform in the 2024 F1 season since they struggled quite a lot in 2023. The team finished ninth with only 16 points in the Constructors' Championship last year.
In 2023, Alfa Romeo left the team as its deal with Sauber expired at the end of the season. Kick.com and Stake became two of the main team sponsors for 2024 and 2025.
F1 pundit claims Audi's entry in F1 could encounter issues due to the delayed share-acquisition of Sauber
In January 2023, Audi acquired 25% of the Sauber F1 team, with the plan to buy 25% more in 2024 and 2025, eventually entering the sport with them in 2026.
However, according to F1 pundit Peter Windsor, their planned acquisition in 2024 was delayed, which could raise a few questions about their project. Speaking on his own YouTube channel, he recently said (03:50):
"I have heard that Audi currently owns 25% of Sauber and I think that their next payment of share purchasing was 25% to take them over the 50% mark. I understand that's a bit delayed and there may be some people thinking, 'I wonder if this deal is gonna be exactly what it was gonna be.'"
The Hinwil-based team will now gradually clean the slate before it merges with Audi in 2026. The German giants will enter F1 with their power units and acquire Sauber by 2026.