Loud calls for departure of Stake F1 boss: 'Who sends Alunni Bravi away?'

For the third Grand Prix in a row, Stake F1 - the future Audi F1 - struck a muddy blow at one of its pit stops. As in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Swiss team saw a good result go down the drain, after - in this case for Valtteri Bottas ' car - an errant wheel nut caused Stake to have an ultra slow stop. This time, the Finn, who also stopped too long in Bahrain, lost 30 seconds.

On a day when Visa Cash App RB and Haas F1, their rivals in the constructors' championship, were racking up important points, Stake drivers Bottas and Zhou came no further than P14 and P15. Swiss media - including leading newspaper Blick - are already reckoning that Stake will end the season in tenth and last place in the title race.

Media want Alunni Bravi to leave

Patience with team representative Allessandro Alunni Bravi - who is in day-to-day charge of the Sauber F1 project - is starting to run out at least among Swiss journalists. Blick cynically stated, "But team representative Alunni Bravi, who again spoke about possible World Championship points, will surely have another excuse ready." The newspaper called on Audi CEO Andreas Seidl to sack Alunni Bravi.

Recently, Audi announced it had taken over all Sauber's shares (not for up to 75 per cent as previously expected), in the hope of enabling the German manufacturer to make faster and more efficient improvements. Stake F1 (aka Sauber) will be Audi's factory team from 2026, and the Germans are keen not to make a muddle then. It was initially reported that Alunni Bravi would stay on, but it is by no means out of the question that Seidl and Audi's delegates may at some point put their own people on the important job of 'team representative' (aka team principal).