Williams Former Sponsor Takes Legal Action Against Team For Whopping $149 Million

The Williams F1 team is being taken to court by their former title sponsor.

ROKiT, the former title sponsor of the Williams Formula 1 team, has launched a legal action against the team for compensation amounting to a whopping $149m. The company alleges that Williams made "fraudulent statements" when signing the sponsorship deal and did not fulfil its commitment to deliver a competitive car in the 2019 season.

The legal action, filed in a Florida court, names former deputy team principal Claire Williams, as well as former executives Mike O'Driscoll and Doug Lafferty as defendants, all of whom left the team in 2020.

ROKiT alleges that Williams knew it did not have sufficient funds to develop a competitive car but promised otherwise. The company fulfilled its financial commitments in 2019, and the deal was extended by two years, with a further agreement with the sister ROKiT drinks company.

However, this is not the first dispute between the two companies. The first came up during the COVID-19 break before the delayed start of the season. ROKiT claimed it had not received the rights it was contractually due, while Williams cited late payment of sponsorship fees. Williams cancelled the sponsorship deal in May, and the unpaid fees dispute for 2020 went to the London Court of International Arbitration, where Williams was ultimately successful.

ROKiT's legal submission now claims that Williams "intentionally and fraudulently concealed the fact that Williams Engineering simply did not have enough money to develop the F1 car." The company seeks compensation for "significant financial loss and damage to their goodwill and business reputation."

ROKiT boss Jonathan Kendrick insists that he has a strong case and alleges that he was given verbal assurances by Williams management that the team would have a competitive car before signing the deal.

Williams Racing has dismissed the legal action as "spurious," citing the successful arbitration case in the UK and the federal court's confirmation in the US.

ROKiT has not been involved in F1 since splitting with Williams in 2020, but it maintains an ongoing presence in other motorsport categories such as Formula E, the British F4 championship, and superbikes.

ROKiT's legal action against the Williams F1 team marks the latest twist in the fallout from their sponsorship deal. With ROKiT seeking significant compensation, this case is set to play out in the courts for some time. It remains to be seen what the outcome will be, but it is clear that both parties have different interpretations of what was agreed upon in the deal, and both are determined to pursue their case.