Rich Energy CEO William Storey has once again teased his commitment to a major deal, this time suggesting he is close to agreeing a takeover of Sunderland Football Club.
Rich Energy spent half a season as name partner of Haas in 2019, but a litany of reliability issues, poor performances and clashes between Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen quickly saw their relationship turn sour.
Storey announced the premature termination of the partnership in July of that year, before reports circulated that his firm had not been paying Gene Haas’ team the money they pledged to as part of the deal.
Eventually, after just six points finishes between their two drivers, Haas and Rich Energy parted ways.
Since then, rumours have created tenuous links between the Williams team and Storey’s company, while Rich Energy themselves have repeatedly tweeted teasers of a major return to Formula 1.
On the day of McLaren’s 2022 car launch, they suggested that a major announcement was inbound, but they it turned out they would not be returning to the pinnacle of motorsport, rather they signed with the Jamaican bobsleigh team for the Winter Olympics.
Now, Storey reveals that he has been making “huge strides” on a deal to purchase League One side Sunderland.
“[We have] Made huge strides on Sunderland deal. Delighted to have some major names backing my bid. Working very hard to make it happen,” he tweeted.
As always, his social media revelation was met with ridicule and praise alike, with one user replying “I’m guessing the major names are Tackleberry, Mahoney, Hooks, Hightower, Callahan, Sweetchuck, Zed, Jones, Proctor, Captain Harris and Commandant Lassard?”
Others were more positive, as another commented “Love it. Finally, someone whos understands the fans and willing to invest in the club to get us back where we belong. Hope you strike a deal with the current mob ASAP.”
A formal bid to either take over or buy shares in the club is yet to be reported, but it is the latest in a strong of high-profile rumours struck up by Storey and his Rich Energy brand.