Haas sponsor targets world championship

William Storey

(GMM) William Storey, the top sponsor at Haas, says he wants the American team to be world champion.

The long-bearded Briton caused a stir earlier this year by saying he wanted the Rich Energy-branded black cars to beat Red Bull in 2019.

"We don't just want to beat Red Bull," said Storey, referring to the world's most successful energy drink company.

"We also want to beat Toro Rosso," he now tells Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

"And not only on the track. We want the supermarkets to sell our drink, not theirs."

However, many people cannot even find a can of Rich Energy on the supermarket shelf.

"We're changing that," Storey said. "We are in the process of establishing our presence in Germany."

He insists Rich Energy is serious about F1, saying he even tried to buy Force India last year.

"We didn't win the bid, even though we were the high bidder," said Storey. "After that, several teams contacted us and Haas was the best option.

"Now we want to stay in formula one with Haas in the long-term. I'm thinking 20 years or more."

When asked if the world championship is the ultimate goal, he added: "Of course. We are not here to finish second."

Finally, Storey played down the concerns about how Britain's impending exit from the European Union will hurt the teams.

"They are worried, but they are thinking like huge corporations. I'm an entrepreneur," he said.

"My problem is that they (the EU) want to set economic regulations with political decisions. I'm not worried about Brexit.

"From a purely economic point of view, Great Britain would benefit from Brexit," said Storey.