'Formula 1 annoyed by new team names for AlphaTauri and Sauber'

When the new Formula 1 season kicks off in Bahrain in a few weeks' time, there will be two teams with totally new names at the start. Sauber have already announced they will race under the name Stake F1 Team, while AlphaTauri are expected to opt for Visa Cash App RB. Within the Formula 1 community, there is starting to be resistance towards teams choosing to have a sponsor as their namesake.

Germany's Motorsport Aktuell has learnt that within Formula 1, exasperation is growing over this trend - although the magazine does not specify exactly which entities have objections (are they fellow teams, FIA, etc.?). Reportedly, they could still live with Sauber having the Alfa Romeo sponsorship name because at least it was a car brand. Stake is an online gambling company, while AlphaTauri opts for two financial companies.

AlphaTauri and Stake F1 play by the rules

Motorsport Aktuell states that within Formula 1, it is not preferable to have team names from non-sector-related sponsors in the future. Incidentally, Stake F1 Team and (currently) AlphaTauri are not doing anything that is not allowed: nowhere in the regulations does it say that it is forbidden to use sponsor names as team names. This has happened more often in the past.

With Stake as its namesake, Sauber does have a small problem: not all countries that host Formula 1 allow online gambling companies to advertise. If the team is a guest in one of these countries, the team will drive under the name Kick Sauber. Kick is also a sponsor.