Formula One Group owner Liberty Media has confirmed that it is under investigation by the Department of Justice for refusing to allow Andretti Global to enter the Formula One World Championship.
Formula One Group owner Liberty Media has confirmed it is under investigation by the Department of Justice for refusing to allow Andretti Global into the Formula One World Championship.
“The company intends to cooperate fully with that investigation, including with any relevant requests for information,” Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said on a conference call Thursday.
F1's rejection in January came after a six-month review of Andretti's application, and the reasons for the rejection were perceived as personal to both Mario and Michael Andretti, as well as to General Motors, which would partner with Andretti in F1 with its Cadillac brand. The bid would expand the current 10-team grid to accommodate a two-car American team.
Maffei said Thursday that the company welcomes applications from new entrants, who could be approved if certain requirements are met.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
F1's arguments in relation to the veto included that it did not believe Andretti could be a competitive team, that the Andretti name did not bring as much value to the series as Michael Andretti expected, and that getting on the grid over the next two years would be a challenge Andretti had never faced before.
Mario Andretti said in April that he was deeply upset by the language used by Formula One management when it rejected his application to join the global motorsport series. The 1978 Formula One World Champion posted on social media that he was “devastated.”
In May, six U.S. senators called on the Justice Department to investigate the refusal, arguing that F1 was acting on behalf of individual teams and other “major stakeholders,” including foreign automakers, in a possible violation of antitrust laws.
