Former sponsor ROKiT launches $149m claim against Williams F1 team

The action, which alleges that the team made “fraudulent statements” when it signed the deal with mobile phone company ROKiT, has been dismissed by Williams as “spurious”.”

ROKiT claims that Williams promised that it would have a competitive car in 2019 while knowing that it did not have sufficient funds to back up that claim.

In addition to the team itself, the action names as defendants erstwhile deputy team principal Claire Williams, as well as former team executives Mike O’Driscoll – who served as CEO – and Doug Lafferty – who was chief financial officer.

All three left the team in the autumn of 2020 as a result of the takeover by Dorilton.

The action has been launched on behalf of parent companies ROKiT World Inc and ROKiT World Limited by Larry Klayman, a well-known lawyer previously involved in several high-profile legal actions, including some against former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

ROKiT boss Jonathan Kendrick signed a three-year with Williams in January 2019, and his company was the title sponsor of the team for the whole of that season.

During 2019, the deal was subsequently extended by a further two years, and an additional arrangement with the sister ROKiT drinks company was also agreed upon.

ROKiT fulfilled its financial commitments in 2019 and the company’s logos were on the car for the cancelled Australian GP weekend at the start of 2020.

However, during the COVID break that followed before the delayed start to the season, a dispute arose between the two parties.

ROKiT claimed that it hadn’t received the rights it was contractually due owing to the cancellation of races, while Williams cited late payment of sponsorship fees.

When a limited calendar was initially announced by F1, ROKiT says it offered to pay a percentage of the agreed fees.

However, the sponsorship deal was cancelled by Williams in May, before the season resumed, at a time when the team was in negotiations with potential new owners.

The dispute over the unpaid fees for 2020 subsequently went to the London Court of International Arbitration, where Williams ultimately proved successful.

The new court submission claims that “the arbitrator was not aware of the fraudulent concealment of statements of material facts by defendants that were not discovered until after the arbitration had concluded,” and that ROKiT “learned that the car was never capable…