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Stake's **$50M** annual Sauber naming rights run through Audi's 2026 takeover, testing crypto betting's F1 fit before works team launches.
$50 million annually
plants a major crypto brand across F1's global broadcast…
$600 million
Sauber acquisition ahead of the 2026 power unit regulations
$100 million
endorsement package
152 million
Instagram followers
Stake, the Curaçao-licensed crypto betting platform backed by Drake, has secured naming rights to the Sauber Formula 1 team through a two-year agreement running through 2026. The deal, valued by paddock sources near $50 million annually, plants a major crypto brand across F1's global broadcast footprint as Sauber transitions to Audi's factory operation.
The team will race as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber beginning 2025, layering the crypto platform's branding atop existing title partner Kick, the livestreaming service owned by Stake's parent company Easygo. Both platforms share beneficial ownership through Australian billionaire Ed Craven, who structured the deals to maximize exposure while Audi completes its $600 million Sauber acquisition ahead of the 2026 power unit regulations. The naming rights expire precisely when Audi's works team formally launches, creating a clean sponsorship runway during the team's infrastructure buildout in Hinwil.
The timing reflects calculated risk appetite from both parties. Stake operates in regulatory gray zones across multiple jurisdictions—banned in the UK and Australia, tolerated in unregulated markets where F1 draws its fastest-growing viewership. The platform's Drake partnership, formalized in 2022 with a reported $100 million endorsement package, delivered celebrity credibility during crypto's volatility cycle. Attaching that brand equity to F1 hardware gives Stake two seasons to normalize its presence before German regulators scrutinize Audi's sponsor portfolio under works team rules. Sauber, meanwhile, secures bridge capital while burning through integration costs: new factory wings, personnel raids from Red Bull and Ferrari, and wind tunnel time purchases that don't generate revenue until 2027.
The deal structure exploits F1's sponsor governance vacuum. Unlike FIFA or UEFA, Formula 1 maintains no centralized betting sponsor restrictions, leaving compliance to individual teams navigating host-country broadcast law. Stake's crypto foundation—users deposit in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins—adds jurisdictional complexity that traditional sportsbooks avoid. The platform has never disclosed active user counts or handle volume, but Drake's public bets, often posted to his 152 million Instagram followers, reportedly drove 400% traffic spikes during NBA playoffs. Whether that converts to sustainable F1 fan acquisition remains untested; the sport's demographic skews older and wealthier than Stake's core sports betting cohort.
Audi's silence on the arrangement signals provisional acceptance. The German manufacturer announced its Sauber acquisition in 2022 but won't field engines until 2026, when new power unit regulations reset technical hierarchies. That gap lets Stake absorb reputational risk while Audi focuses on engineering hires and dyno development in Neuburg. If regulatory pressure mounts—the UK Gambling Commission recently flagged crypto platforms for anti-money-laundering deficiencies—Audi inherits a clean 2027 slate. If Stake's brand stabilizes, Audi acquires proven sponsor inventory to resell at premium rates once the works team competes for podiums.
Watch Stake's activation strategy through Abu Dhabi 2025. The platform has never executed trackside hospitality or partner activations at scale; its marketing budget historically funded influencer posts and viral bet trackers. F1 sponsors typically spend 2-3x their naming fee on activation—paddock suites, customer entertainment, B2B partnership announcements timed to race weekends. Stake's ability to staff those functions, or willingness to pay agencies for execution, will signal whether this is brand-building or a two-year billboard rental. Also track Audi's 2026 sponsor announcements; any crypto platform carryover indicates the experiment succeeded. Driver signings matter less here—Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto are placeholders until Audi's works era begins.
The deal confirms crypto's F1 strategy has shifted from exchange branding (Crypto.com, FTX's aborted talks) to platform integration where gambling regulation, not securities law, sets the compliance bar. Stake gets cheaper entry than Crypto.com's $100 million Miami Grand Prix naming rights, with higher logo placement and two seasons to prove unit economics before Audi's accountants audit the partnership.
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