Members of U.S. Congress send letter to Liberty Media requesting answers
F1 News
Members of the U.S. Congress have sent a letter to Formula 1 owners Liberty Media. They are requesting answers regarding why Andretti Global were excluded from Formula 1. Andretti Global's bid to join F1 was rejected by Formula One Management in January this year.
FOM informed the ambitious American, Michael Andretti, to try again for the 2028 season. At that time, not entirely coincidentally, General Motors (under the Cadillac brand name) want to appear in Formula 1 as an engine supplier, with Andretti as a partner. Despite the initial rejection from FOM, Andretti is currently working on their own F1 car. A factory in Silverstone has also opened, and they have shown intention to join Formula 2 and Formula 3.
Letter sent to Liberty Media
"We write to express our concerns with apparent anti-competitive actions that could prevent two American companies, Andretti Global and General Motors (GM), from producing and competing in Formula 1," the 12 members of Congress wrote to Liberty's President and CEO Gregory Maffei.
"FOM's rejection appears to be driven by the current line-up of European Formula 1 race teams, many of which are affiliated with foreign automobile manufacturers that directly compete with American automotive companies like GM. It is unfair and wrong to attempt to block American companies from joining Formula 1, which could also violate American antitrust laws. Participation of all Formula 1 teams including any American teams—should be based on merit and not just limited to protecting the current line-up of race teams."
The members of Congress then asked for answers to three different points. These included a demand for a clear answer to the rejection: "Under what authority does FOM proceed to reject admission of Andretti Global? What is the rationale for FOM's rejection?"
The letter concluded by requesting a response by the 3rd May. This will be the first day of on track action for the Miami Grand Prix weekend in Florida.