Racing with Rich Energy:How a Rogue Sponsor Took Formula One for a Ride

by: Elizabeth Blackstock(Author),Alanis King(Author)

Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc

Publication Date: 30 Oct. 2022

Language: English

Print Length: 277 pages

ISBN-10: 147668880X

ISBN-13: 9781476688800

Book Description

Formula One is known for glitz and glamour, but lurking in the background are dark, and sometimes deeply strange, goings on:sex scandals with prison camp themes, Nigerian prince scams, protests of its grands prix in countries known for their human rights violations, tax evasion--the list goes on. These things often stay in the background, thanks to efforts by the series to maintain an opulent aura. But with the 2019 season came a force louder than Formula One could dream of muffling:William Storey, the founder of British startup Rich Energy. Storey became a multimillion-dollar sponsor of the Haas Formula One Team a year after records showed Rich Energy having a mere $770 in the bank, but that didn't matter. Storey equated his doubters to moon-landing truthers and publicly mocked entities winning legal disputes against him. In the six months between Storey's first race as a Formula One sponsor and his very public exit, he became the most visible part of the world's most visible racing series, easily tearing down its red-carpet facades with a loud mouth and an active Twitter account. Haas team boss Guenther Steiner described the Rich Energy news cycle, as:"I'm getting sick of answering these stupid fucking questions on a race weekend. I've never seen any fucking thing like this." This book is the fascinating, bizarre, and complete story.