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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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President Joe Biden's Department of Justice has been asked to investigate Formula 1's decision to reject Andretti Global.
A bipartisan group of senators has suggested the sport may be violating U.S. antitrust law, NBC News reported.
They addressed concerns in a letter to Jonathan Kanter, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department Antitrust Division, and Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Newsweek has not obtained a copy of the letter and was unable to verify its contents.
Read More on U.S.
Newsweek reached out to the Department for Justice via its website for comment.
The Context
Andretti was rejected by Formula One Management after the motorsports organization sought entry for the 2025 and 2026 season.
The FIA, responsible for overseeing F1's technical and sporting standards, approved the bid in October 2023. However, the commercial rights holder, Formula One Management (FOM), ultimately denied the bid at the end of January, leaving a window slightly ajar for potential future entry in 2028.
In May, the House Judiciary Committee, led by Representative Jim Jordan, opened an investigation examining the reasons why Andretti Global was denied.
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What We Know
The letter expressed concern that F1 might be acting on behalf of foreign carmakers to stop Andretti from entering the sport.
"Last year, F1 hosted three races in America, in Miami, Las Vegas, and Austin, while no other country hosted more than a single race," the letter reportedly said. "Clearly there is a financial incentive to adding an American team to F1's roster, and there is no reason they should be blocked unless [Formula 1 management] is trying to insulate its current partners from competition."
NBC News said the letter was led by Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, and by the panel's ranking member, Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican.
The letter was co-signed by Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, and Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.
Views
"We are grateful to the bipartisan members of Congress for their support in challenging this anti-competitive behavior," a spokesperson for Andretti Global said this month about the support from Congress. "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."
What's Next?
F1 has not publicly responded to the allegations or the letter.
Update 05/21/24, 9:13 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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