Sauber has addressed the death of French streamer Jeanpormanove during a live Kick broadcast, calling it “a tragedy” and urging the platform to uphold creator safeguards.
French authorities have opened a judicial investigation into the death of the 46-year-old, whose real name was Raphael Graven. He was found on August 18 in Contes, near Nice, after appearing on a marathon livestream that had reportedly run into its 10th consecutive day. Prosecutor Damien Martinelli confirmed an autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death, while police have seized equipment and video to clarify events. Initial interviews haven’t yet established what happened.
Graven was known for extreme online challenges and had built a global following of over a million. Reports in France said he had been subjected to physical and psychological pressures on-stream, including violence and prolonged sleep deprivation. One of his collaborators, known as “Naruto,” confirmed Graven’s passing and asked viewers not to repost footage showing him unconscious.
Kick, whose founders are linked to Sauber title backer Stake, said it was “urgently reviewing” the circumstances and expressed condolences to Graven’s family and community. In a statement to PlanetF1, Sauber said: “We are saddened by this tragedy and trust KICK to take all necessary steps to uphold its safeguards and protect creators.”
The case has caught political attention in France. Minister Clara Chappaz described the death as “horrifying” and referred the matter to Arcom, the national media regulator. Earlier this year, Graven had been the subject of a police inquiry into alleged acts of deliberate violence against vulnerable people. At the time, both he and a fellow streamer denied being victims and insisted their acts were staged; they declined medical examinations, according to the prosecutor.
For Sauber, the situation lands in an awkward overlap between motorsport and the wider world of creator platforms. Kick has been splashed across the team’s cars for the past two seasons, but the branding picture is set to shift. With Audi moving to take full control of the Swiss outfit and online banking giant Revolut revealed as title partner, the Kick tie-up looks likely to conclude at the end of the 2025 campaign.
In a season where the team’s future identity is already rewriting itself, this is the sort of headline no one in Hinwil wanted. The paddock can be ruthless, but there’s a line between spectacle and safeguarding — and after this week, the pressure for platforms to prove they know the difference will only intensify.
