ROKiT ordered Williams to pay €32m in damages

The end of a long struggle Williams. The British team will receive £26m (over €30m) from former title sponsor ROKiT after winning a landmark legal battle against the US firm. The conviction was upheld by a California court in a ruling issued Thursday.

Coming in as title sponsor ahead of the 2019 season, ROKiT – a company specializing mainly in mobile telephony – initially signed a sponsorship deal until 2023. However, before the start of the 2020 campaign, the company suddenly backtracked. A health crisis linked to Covid-19. The white and red livery unveiled (and used) during winter testing in Barcelona in 2020 was not presented at the Grand Prix.

32 million won for Williams

Feeling victimized, the Williams Group sued in a British court to recover contractual payments. ROKiT has withheld payment to Williams for the remainder of his contract. First, the London Court of International Arbitration ruled in favor of Grove’s structure in 2021 and ordered the American company to pay Williams several million dollars…which still hasn’t been done today. Meanwhile, Williams was sold to Dorrilton Capital in 2021. The team’s new owners decided to take the case to a California court.

It’s been clear for some time that Team Grove is in pole position to win this case, and the California court upheld it. The California court’s final judgment is that Williams will receive £26,220,094.25, or approximately €30.6 million, from ROKiT to settle the dispute. A million dollars can be added to reimburse the costs of the activities, which will bring in almost 32 million euros. A nice jackpot for Williams and good news for the team’s development.

Read more > Is Alban “too cool” for Formula 1? Williams wants to make it tough for him going forward