The Chairman of the United State’s House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, recently opened a probe into Liberty Media’s rejection of Andretti’s return to F1. Jordan wrote a letter to Greg Maffei (Liberty CEO) and Stefano Domenicalli (F1 CEO), seeking answers to ensure no foul play was in effect when rejecting Andretti’s entry.
Per Motorsport, Jordan wrote that he didn’t agree with some of the explanations made by F1. He claimed that sports like F1 operate in an area of antitrust law in which some degree of collusion is necessary.
However, a deviation from its rules and practices reduces competition and consumer interest in the product. As a result, Jordan seeks an explanation to ensure no illegal and anti-competitive behavior took place. Motorsport quoted,
“The excuses put forward for denying Andretti Cadillac’s entry appear to be pretextual, arbitrary, and unrelated to Andretti Cadillac’s suitability to compete in Formula 1.”
| 12 members of the US Congress have written a letter to F1 owners, Liberty Media demanding justification for rejecting Andretti Global’s bid to enter F1 in 2026. #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/mZRKiiYhmx
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 1, 2024
Jordan wants an answer by 21 May, and should they fail to provide valid reasoning, the antitrust laws could undergo a massive overhaul. The Andretti rejection could be perceived as a misuse of the current policies which could demand that change.
While many fear Andretti’s political charge could open a can of worms for the pinnacle of motorsports, the American racing icon asserts that he had nothing to do with it.
Andretti did not ask for help from Congress
With the contents of Jordan’s letter being revealed earlier this week, the assumption was that Mario Andretti used his influence to make it happen. Last month, Andretti visited Capitol Hill and Jim Jordan posted a picture of the two of them together.
Great to have a NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula One LEGEND in my office today, @MarioAndretti. We discussed the importance of supporting American autos and companies in racing throughout the globe.
More news to come on this VERY soon… pic.twitter.com/9Ul16R0sPo
— Rep. John James (@RepJames) April 30, 2024
However, GrandPrix247 reports that Andretti claims he had nothing to do with the incident,
“I’d like to make something clear. I did not take the case to the Congress.”
Per Andretti, F1 caught the attention of the US Congress when the sport launched an exhibition in Washington DC last week.
F1 is arguably one of the most exclusive sports in the world. There are just 10 entrants as of now, and getting in as an 11th team is extraordinarily difficult as evident by Andretti’s recent failure. But Andretti isn’t a new name in racing. In other disciplines such as IndyCar, they have been immensely successful.
What that does is show that being successful in other ventures doesn’t guarantee a team a place in F1. Meanwhile, the fate of Andretti’s entry now lies with the Congressional inquiry.
