Tag: Stake

Hulkenberg to leave Haas for Audi project in 2025

Nico Hulkenberg will join the Audi Formula 1 project by moving to Stake in 2025 on a multi-year deal, bringing an end to his time racing for Haas. Haas signed Hulkenberg ahead of the 2023 season after he had been out of a full-time Formula 1 seat …

Nico Hulkenberg will join the Audi Formula 1 project by moving to Stake in 2025 on a multi-year deal, bringing an end to his time racing for Haas.

Haas signed Hulkenberg ahead of the 2023 season after he had been out of a full-time Formula 1 seat for three years, and the German duly delivered impressive performances, particularly in qualifying. This year his strong form has continued, with three point-scoring results in the first five races, making him a key target for Audi when it becomes a full constructor from 2026 onwards.

“I’m returning to the team I worked with back in 2013 and have fond memories of the strong team spirit in Switzerland,” Hulkenberg said. “The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 with such determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honor for me.”

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With Hulkenberg becoming the first confirmed driver for Audi when it enters in 2026, future Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl — currently CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG — says his experience will be vital to the team’s development.

“We are very pleased to welcome Nico back here in Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula 1,” Seidl said. “With his speed, his experience and his commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team — and of Audi’s F1 project.

“Right from the start, there was great mutual interest in building something long-term together. Nico is a strong personality and his input, on a professional and personal level, will help us to make progress both in the development of the car and in building up the team.”

In addition to Hulkenberg’s returning to the team over a decade on from a year racing for Sauber in 2013, the agreement also marks a reunion for him with Seidl, who was the Porsche team principal in the World Endurance Championship when Hulkenberg won at Le Mans for the team in 2015.

The news also confirms the departure of at least one of the current Stake lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the end of this season. Carlos Sainz has been heavily linked with a move to join the Audi project following the end of his Ferrari contract this year.

Audi link making Stake a player in F1 driver market

Audi’s arrival in Formula 1 for 2026 is making Stake a serious player in the driver market this season despite on-track struggles, according to team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi. The Sauber-run team has yet to score a point in the opening …

Audi’s arrival in Formula 1 for 2026 is making Stake a serious player in the driver market this season despite on-track struggles, according to team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

The Sauber-run team has yet to score a point in the opening five races and has been hampered by pit stop issues that have caused a number of slow stops, frustrating drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Despite the challenging results so far in 2024, the fact that Audi will take over the team and enter as a full constructor in less than two years is leading to a lot of interest from drivers, according to Alunni Bravi.

“First, let me say that there are a lot of speculations around our teams and comments,” Alunni Bravi said. “And, of course, I don’t want to comment on speculation… But there’s all the teams. There are 14 drivers without a contract fixed for next year. So, as all the teams, we are speaking with different drivers.

“It’s not the time for us to take any decision. It’s time to provide our drivers with a performing car. But let me say that we are happy that it seems that we can play a role — a different role in the drivers’ market for the future — thanks to Audi’s announcement and all the investment that will be done in order to improve our team

“So I think that is good news for our team. Finally we are attractive and we are not spectators, we are a player in the market.”

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During the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed discussions with Carlos Sainz had left him feeling that Red Bull could not compete with an offer Audi had made to the Spaniard, but Alunni Bravi says all teams and drivers are likely to have multiple discussions ongoing.

“I think they are mere speculation, because, every driver, I think, is speaking with a lot of teams to understand the situation, to understand if there could be a common vision on the project, especially for a team like us that is in a full transformation process ahead of 2026. But we are focused on our drivers and we respect our drivers.

“We know that we need to deliver better performance as a team. And this is the first step to start deciding what will be the driver lineup for the future. First, we need to consolidate our performance. So far, we didn’t score points. So I think that the main target, and the priority for the team, is to start scoring points and then to approach the drivers’ market, starting with discussion with our drivers and then having, of course, open eyes on the market.

“It’s not appropriate to disclose what could be the discussion in place. No one really knows what other teams are offering to the drivers, or are discussing with the drivers, and sometimes we don’t want to be part of a game that is done by others … I think that the car performance now is our priority and there will be time to take the right decision for the future.”

Drake and crypto betting site Stake to donate $1 million to LeBron James’ foundation

Drake is donating $1 million of his winnings from Stake.

Recording artist Drake and cryptocurrency betting site Stake are coming together to donate $1 million in bitcoin to the LeBron James Family Foundation, the sides announced Wednesday.

This is the first announcement to come since Drake and Stake announced their partnership earlier this month. At the time, Drake said he planned to give away winnings.

Drake made the pledge to LeBron James at a restaurant in his hometown of Toronto last week when the Los Angeles Lakers were in town to play the Raptors, according to a press release. The donation will come via Stake winnings and represents Drake’s largest to come from the platform.

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“Speaking of memorable nights, I had an incredible night last night playing roulette on Stake.com. It was my biggest hit ever,” Drake said.

“As you can see, I was clearly excited. Any time I get blessed like that, I always think it’s luck that needs to be transferred, or it’s good karma that needs to be transferred.

“I play for fun and I play in the hope that I can spread love, always.”

Drake also gave $100,000 to the mother of a high school basketball player in Toronto in an effort to support the family.

“Stake.com has always been about community. That extends beyond our players to the wider public too, especially those who will benefit the most from acts of generosity and love like that shown by Drake,” Stake co-founder Ed Craven said.

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Drake and crypto betting site Stake officially announce partnership: ‘It was inevitable’

Drake and Stake connect.

For months, Drake had been dropping hints about a possible partnership with the cryptocurrency betting platform Stake. Whether a picture of him playing an online game of roulette or a screenshot of his massive Super Bowl bet, the artist/actor made it clear he was at least a fan of the platform.

On Wednesday, more details were revealed as Drake officially announced on Instagram his partnership with Stake, calling it “inevitable.”

“Drake and Stake have come together,” he wrote in the caption, adding that he’ll be announcing an upcoming live event where he’ll play for real money that he plans to give away.

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“Drake has been an active member of our global community for a few months now, so the next step and natural evolution in the relationship was for us to collaborate on a stream,” added Stake co-founder Ed Craven, per SBC Americas.

“We share the same love for crypto, gambling and community and are like-minded fans of the technology and culture at the forefront of this movement.”

Drake’s brand, which includes a following of 104 million people on Instagram, will bring a ton of exposure to Stake. It likely already has from just the images and videos he’s posted in the past, which always included the company’s logo somewhere.

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