The Stake F1 Team marked the first team to hit the track with a 2024 car following a test run in Barcelona.
Stake F1 Team marked the first Formula 1 team to test with the new 2024 challenger as Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou conducted a filming day at the Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday.
The F1 car was photographed on the track earlier in the day by fans who attended the session as the team officially released the first footage later in the afternoon.
During the course of a season, Formula 1 teams have the privilege of two filming days with their most tecent car with the majority opting to use one day between launch and the beginning of winter testing to gather promotional material and get a feel for their new cars.
The allowed running distance on so-called “Promotional Events” has been increased from 200 km to 400 km in an amendment to the regulations for 2024.
Finally, Sauber became the first team to run a 2024 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday after revealing the new C44 challenger in London on Tuesday.
A brief video that was uploaded to the team’s official social media channels featured the C44 racing down Barcelona’s main straight, which is currently home to the Spanish Grand Prix and is well-known for being a perfect testing ground.
The car was captured negotiating Barcelona’s last turn in a trackside photo that went viral on social media, featuring its alternate Kick branding on the sidepods.
Following the completion of a title sponsorship agreement with joint-owned streaming platform Kick and gaming company Stake, Sauber confirmed last month that the team will officially race as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber in 2024.
A number of 2024 F1 races will likely see Sauber replace Stake logos with those of Kick, as gambling is prohibited in several countries that hold F1 events, including Bahrain, which is also the venue of the only three-day preseason test and the first race of the new season on March 2.
There were other teams visiting the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday besides Sauber as McLaren shared an image from the circuit taken at dawn.
The new MCL38 is expected to be officially unveiled on Wednesday, but according to reports the team is testing their 2022 chassis at the Spanish circuit.
