Michael Andretti’s denied attempt to join the Formula 1 grid has been granted a DOJ investigation. American firm Liberty Media, which owns Formula 1 Group, denied Andretti Global’s entry to F1 earlier this year. The denial by F1, following a six-month review of the team’s application, which included a commitment from General Motors, claimed that it didn’t believe Andretti could field a competitive car in the series. This all comes in spite of the fact that the FIA, the series’ sanctioning body, granted Andretti a slot. Many of the other teams on the grid were opposed to Andretti joining because they didn’t want to cut another slice into their lucrative pie. If it looks like a cartel, and it quacks like a cartel…
“We intend to fully cooperate with that investigation, including any related request for information,” Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said during a conference call Thursday.
Maffei claimed during the phone call that the company was open to new entrants applying to the series “if certain requirements are met.” It seems unlikely that any other team applying for the series could be better prepared than Andretti, a team which has already begun building a new facility to house its F1 efforts, already built a 2024-spec chassis, and already signed Cadillac as an engine supplier for the new 2026 engine regulations. What more could F1 want from a prospective team?
American racing icon Mario Andretti, one of just two American F1 champions in history, appealed alongside his son Michael, to the U.S. government to step in and investigate this whole thing. There are concerns that Formula 1, acting on behalf of individual teams and foreign automakers, by denying Andretti and Cadillac, could be in violation of anti-trust laws.
Back in May, a bi-partisan collaboration of U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Todd Young (R-IN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Mike Braun (R-IN) requested a DOJ investigation. This week the investigation was granted. And now we wait to see if Team Andretti-Cadillac is granted a legal mandate that they be allowed to race in F1. This is certainly new territory for the sport, but viewed from the outside, I’m inclined to believe they have a case.
“[W]e have serious concerns that the rejection of Team Andretti-Cadillac was based on a desire to exclude a rival from the racetrack, marketing opportunities, and prestige that competing in F1 can lend to a car manufacturer competing to sell cars across the globe.” the senators wrote in a joint statement.
