Rich Energy Disputes Haas F1 Termination Tweet, Will Remain On Car at Silverstone

The tweet heard ’round the Formula 1 world may not be as accurate as it seemed.

A Wednesday (July 10) tweet that sent news outlets, including Frontstretch, into a tizzy from Rich Energy saying that the title sponsor for the America-based Haas F1 Team terminated its contract with the team for lack of performance and “the politics and PC attitude in F1″ has turned out to be false.

However, the energy drink brand has since released a rebuttal statement that this tweet was not an official action by Rich Energy and that it is not pulling out of F1 after all.

“We wholeheartedly believe in the Haas F1 Team, its performance, and the organization as a whole, and we are fully committed to the current sponsorship agreement in place,” Rich’s shareholders’ statement read. “We also completely believe in the product of Formula 1 and the platform it offers our brand.

“Clearly the rogue actions of one individual have caused great embarrassment. We are in the process of legally removing the individual from all executive responsibilities. They may speak for themselves but their views are not those of the company.”

Accompanying the statement, Rich Energy stated that the social media post was “regrettable” and came from an “unauthorized source.”

The employee who made the tweet was not named in the statement, but Motorsport was told that the tweet was either written or authorized by Rich Energy CEO William Storey without the knowledge of investors after “an apparent difference of opinion.”

“The deal is not terminated and William has no authority to do so. The investors are trying to clear up the PR mess, but it’s business as usual,” the source added to Motorsport.

Team principal of the Haas team Gunther Steiner said that the team will run Rich Energy logos on the car and team this weekend at Silverstone.