Stake F1 Team share detail on “completely new car” after Red Bull copy question

The team known as Alfa Romeo last year have morphed into Stake F1 Team, run by Sauber, in 2024 ahead of their evolution into Audi after two seasons.

The reorganisation this year can count on “significant funding (believed to be in the hundreds of millions over the course of the partnership)” from title sponsor Stake, a betting, lifestyle and entertainment company, according to F1.com.

Bottas and Zhou stand to benefit from a more competitive machine.

“We understood [last] year that this concept was a good concept but there was a limit of possibility to further development,” said Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi. 

“We improved the car significantly since the launch but it was not enough to stay ahead of our competitors so we need to change the concept of the car and develop certain areas.

“We will have a new front suspension, which is a big development for us, and this should help us make the front tyres and front axle work better in all conditions. 

“We will have a new monocoque, a different concept. 

“[Last] year’s monocoque was a carryover, so this will be a significant step.”

The concept that Red Bull used for their dominant RB19 was a masterstroke in 2023, even convincing some of their rivals to swallow their pride to copy it.

Alunni Bravi was asked if Stake F1 Team will move towards the RB19’s concept for their 2024 car.

“We have seen most teams moving to the Red Bull concept with the exclusion of ourselves, Ferrari and Haas,” he replied. 

“It’s not a matter of going in that direction, but it’s about assessing our weaknesses and finding a good technical solution.

“This won’t be an evolution of the C43, it will be a completely new car.

“This will also not just be a new car, but we have an aggressive development plan, especially for the first two quarters of the year, until around September or October. 

“Then we will be devoting resources for the rest of the year and beginning of 2025 to 2026.

“This will be similar to other [teams]. [This] year’s car is crucial as there will be a lot of carryover from this year to the 2025 cars, as was the case between 2020 to 2021.”

Audi are busy at work in Germany building their own power unit, another step towards their F1 entry when the new regulations are introduced in 2026.

This year their presence may not be visible on the car but they “have an investment plan, already agreed according to the governance”, Alunni Bravi states.

The team’s unchanged driver line-up may come under pressure as the evolution into Audi nears.

“Valtteri has suffered a lot with the consistency of our package,” said Alunni Bravi. 

“2022 was strong year for him – he scored 95% of our points so we know how big his contribution is. 

“[Last year] we struggled with the car, and he had unlucky races. If we can provide him with a more performing car, a stronger package, he will be able to deliver strong performance.

“We need to support him with a good car. He’s very reliable, able to always be on the limit without going over the limit.

“Zhou did a very good step compared to last year in terms of overall performance and we’ve seen him able to match Valtteri’s qualifying several times. 

“We expect a further step – he needs to be more consistent from one circuit to another.

“What I asked him this year is that we need him to be on the limit at the top of his performance from Lap 1 of FP1 because we cannot concede any single session in this tight competition, where five teams are fighting within one tenth.

“He’s doing this step, of course it’s a process, but what I expect [this year] is more consistency in terms of race pace, to have a more aggressive approach from the very first lap. It’s not a matter of speed, it’s a matter of confidence.

“He’s matching Valtteri on certain occasions, this should not be the exception or surprise, this should be his level. If he doesn’t do this step in confidence, of course we will be disappointed.”