Influential US commission interferes with Andretti refusal

The FIA, the international motorsport federation, would like to see more F1 teams on the grid. Andretti Global seemed the most suitable candidate to enter Formula 1, but the FOM (Formula One Management) and several F1 teams put a stop to this. For instance, Andretti would not be competitive enough to join, which would not add value to their participation, and F1 teams do not want to share the prize money with another team.

Last weekend, news broke that Andretti has now set its sights on 2026. After the initial rejection, entry would first only be possible from 2028. So this has now been brought forward. The team's owner Mario Andretti is convinced that this should be possible.

New steps in process to get Andretti into F1

Earlier, it was announced that members of the US Congress sent a letter to Liberty Media. So now the United States House Committee on the Judiciary has also sent a letter to the CEO of Liberty Media and the CEO of the Formula One Group. This committee is committed to the most important issues facing the nation, including the protection of constitutional freedoms and civil liberties.

Its chairman, Jim Jordan, is demanding answers on why Andretti's participation in F1 was rejected. In addition, they accuse the Formula One leaders of anti-competitive behaviour. The letter, which has come into the hands of NBC News, reads, among other things, as follows: “Delaying Andretti Cadillac’s entry into Formula One for even one year will harm American consumers to benefit failing Formula One teams,” Jordan writes.

“Limiting the number of teams in Formula One will increase the price of sponsoring or buying into an existing Formula One team. As the Committee examines this matter and considers potential legislation around the structure and competition of sports leagues, we write to request a staff-level briefing on the decision to deny Andretti Cadillac’s application to join Formula One.”