Formula 1: What to make of next week’s huge ‘launch’

Next week is the week we have all been waiting for. Rich Energy will be launching their “fanzone” ahead of their promised return to Formula 1 for 2022.

If you read those two sentences and don’t have a single ounce of skepticism, perhaps you haven’t been paying attention to Formula 1 for the last few seasons.

Rich Energy signed on to become the title sponsor of Haas for the 2019 season, and there was skepticism even before the green flag flew in Australian that March.

But after a disastrous — and quite comical, in some ways — sequence of events that summer, the two sides cut ties well before the season ended.

However, before the 2021 season began, Rich Energy founder and CEO William Storey announced that the British beverage company would be returning to Formula 1 for 2021.

Of course, nothing ended up materializing for 2021, despite constant Twitter posts from the brand announcing their “return” and Storey maintaining that they would be back, even stating that a “strategic ally” of Rich Energy, had “purchased, or agreed to purchase, a majority stake in an existing team”.

Storey, who also serves as the CEO of Wolf Data Systems and the managing director of Wolf Jerky (#FeedTheWolf), added the following:

"“We did explore with the new regulations actually entering our own team for 2022, called Rich Energy F1 team, but a friend of ours has agreed a deal for a majority stake in an F1 team, and we will become a partner for that team for 2021. Once that acquisition is announced, we will become the title sponsor for 2022."

That “existing team” was never named, as many had guessed it wouldn’t be, and now the 22-race 2021 season is just two races from ending.

And Rich Energy are now publicizing a “return” for 2022.

Multiple Twitter posts by Rich Energy and Storey (effectively one in the same) have stated that Rich Energy’s #return, otherwise known as #Chapter2, is on the way for 2022.

Shortly after the entire 10-team, 20-driver lineup was confirmed for 2022 with Alfa Romeo announcing Guanyu Zhou as the replacement for Antonio Giovnazzi, Rich Energy stated that they were “excited to reveal our next two drivers & a high profile reserve”.

Of course, in typical Rich Energy/Storey fashion, no details have been revealed whatsoever about anything to do with this alleged return, and every post is met with the same level of skepticism from Formula 1 fans.

But even amid all the posts stating that their #return is on the horizon, we do know one thing that is on the horizon — and when.

We do know that Rich Energy plan to launch the “Rich Energy F1 Fanzone” on Wednesday, December 1.

At the beginning of November, they stated that this launch is coming amid their return because they “want to make fans central to the team and make the sport more accessible”.

So what will this highly anticipated “launch” entail? What will be featured in this Rich Energy F1 Fanzone?

Will this “launch” precede an “announcement”, considering it is supposedly happening due to their oft-advertised return? Will there be a video, perhaps one along the lines of what we saw in February with Storey drinking out of a “magnificent” can of Rich Energy and ultimately leaving fans with far more questions than answers?

Regardless of what ends up happening, be sure to keep an eye on Rich Energy later this week. At the very least, there should be some pretty hefty entertainment value in whatever happens next.

But do consider the fact that Rich Energy have disproven the common myths that they aren’t a real company and that their drinks are not real, time and time again, and we have seen them become increasingly involved in other forms of motorsport as a of late. So maybe, just maybe, we might get some substance here.

Then again, maybe not.