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Stake await legal battle: This is how the Swiss team have reacted
- Ludo van Denderen
With the new team name Stake F1, Sauber have received plenty of attention through the winter: not all fans support the team name Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. Soon after the announcement, it became clear that the team cannot use the sponsor name Stake in every country Formula 1 visits. This rule is also in place in Switzerland, but the team previously revealed to GPblog that it adheres to all laws in their own country.
Yet Switzerland's Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission (the gaming supervisory commission) has now taken action: advertising gambling in the home country is forbidden, and the Stake F1 Team are allegedly violating that ban. This includes the team's website, team members' clothing, and social media channels.
Stake unaware of any wrongdoing
If the commission finds that Sauber is ignoring local laws after the announced investigation, a fine of 500,000 Swiss francs (over half a million euros) could be imposed. Team representative Alessandro Alluni Bravi said after the presentation of the new car, "We always comply with all applicable laws, including in Switzerland. And, of course, we took all measures to comply with them."
GPblog then requested a response from the team. They stated, "I think Alessandro’s answer was clear enough. We always complied and still comply with all rules, Swiss and of whatever country we are racing in. We are not worried as we always follow the rules."