Members of the United States Congress have written to Formula One Management questioning its refusal to accept Andretti Global’s application to compete in the championship.
FOM announced in January this year it did not accept the bid which the FIA accepted three months earlier.
In a letter to Greg Maffei, president of F1’s owner Liberty Media, the congress members expressed concerns the series is restricting competition by refusing to allow the team to take one of the two spaces available for new teams under the Concorde Agreement.
The letter was signed by a dozen of the 535 congress members. They questioned whether Andretti and General Motors brand Cadillac, which intends to enter as a power unit manufacturer, was being prevented from benefiting from the same exposure F1 gives to European brands already present in the series.
Mario Andretti, the 1978 world champion and father of Michael Andretti whose team is seeking to enter F1, visited the US Capitol building today to urge the government to take up the cause for the team.
Andretti Global said in a statement they are: “Grateful to the bipartisan members of Congress for their support in challenging this anti-competitive behaviour.
“We remain committed to bringing the first US works team and power unit to F1 and to giving American fans a home team to root for.
“It is our hope that this can be resolved swiftly so that Andretti Cadillac can take its rightfully approved place on the grid in 2026. Our work continues at pace.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
US Congress members’ letter to FOM
Dear Mr. Maffei:
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.
This partnership, which includes GM and the thousands of its workers who we represent, would showcase exceptional American engineering and design skills, including the production of the only American-built and designed engine (power unit) in Formula 1.
Last year, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the sole and independent arbiter of entry into Formula 1, approved Andretti Global to enter Formula 1 racing starting in 2026. However, despite FIA’s approval of the Andretti Global partnership, Formula One Management (FOM), the commercial rights holder owned by Liberty Media Corporation, rejected Andretti Global’s…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…