Williams has won a court case against a former title sponsor, who is now forced to pay the Formula 1 team £26 million.
The title sponsor in question, ROKiT, joined Williams in 2019 with their logo featuring prominently on the car’s livery.
The partnership continued into 2020, with ROKiT once again appearing alongside the Williams name at pre-season testing – but after the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two organisations parted ways.
A legal process then followed, with Williams winning an arbitration case in January this year for the £26m figure over missed payments outlined in the sponsorship agreement.
Williams then sought a Petition to Confirm Foreign Arbitral Award to obtain written confirmation that the case had ruled in its favour.
The case was presented to the Central District of California last week, where judge Christina Snyder confirmed the final ruling.
The judgement sees Williams owed £26,220,094.25 by ROKiT, along with a further $1m (£813,000) to cover Williams’ legal costs.
Following the separation from ROKiT prior to the start of the 2020 campaign, the Williams team was then sold to Dorilton Capital toward the end of the year.
It has since been without a title sponsor and ended the 2022 campaign eighth in the Constructors’ Championship.
For 2023, Williams has retained Alexander Albon and signed Logan Sargeant, who joined its driver academy in 2021.
ROKiT has held a presence in other motorsport categories such as Formula E and W Series.
