Gallery: A closer look at the striking Stake F1 C44 after its London launch

The launch of Stake F1’s first car after their taking on of Sauber’s naming rights took place on Monday night, with the C44 having its covers taken off at a lavish event in London.

Drivers Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas did the honours in pulling the covers off the car, as they unveiled a striking black and green livery that should stand out on the grid this season.

The team finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship last season, so will be hoping for better this time around as they get back out on track.

Bottas said: “The new C44 definitely feels different, both in terms of looks and of what we can expect from the car. We need to perform as a team and extract the most out of this package, which has some impressive potential – nothing else matters.

“Personally speaking, going into the third season together with a team, the objectives need to be lofty. My own expectations are high, we definitely need to make a good step and see good progress from last year, a season in which, in all honesty, we didn’t meet the targets that we set for ourselves.

“We need to fix that now, we need to step up our game and do better, but I have seen some real enthusiasm back in Hinwil and I am confident we can do it.”

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Zhou added: “First, you know, you can’t miss the colour! It’s a very exciting new approach, especially in Formula One. And then from my side, of course, we’re hoping to be a fast one.

“We’ve been putting in a lot of effort since the last season, especially in the second half of the year, after the summer break, just to make sure that we’re understanding exactly where we had to improve as a team and what the plan for the guys back in the factory would be for the winter: now is the time to put everything together and get the car on track.

“The expectations are high but, at the same time, we won’t know where we really stand until we start competing against our rivals. Still, a lot of effort went into the new car and I’m excited to drive it soon.”

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