Liberty Media is set to be investigated by the United States Department of Justice. This follows their handling of Andretti and their now-rejected application to join the F1 grid.
The United States government has informed Liberty Media of an antitrust investigation following their denial of Andretti and their bid to become the 11th team in F1. This centres around their handling of Andretti’s application to join F1.
Liberty Media have confirmed that they will cooperate with the probe and will comply with any information requests.
United States Congresspeople and Senators called for the investigation in May. Mario Andretti appeared on the steps of the Capitol with representatives to call out what he believes is injustice.
People believed that Greg Maffei, the Liberty Media CEO, warned that he would do “everything” to block the team from joining the grid.
Of the investigation, he said: “There is a DoJ investigation, and we intend to fully cooperate with that investigation, including any related requests for information.
“We believe our determination, F1’s determination, was in compliance with all applicable US antitrust laws, and we’ve detailed the rationale for the decision, vis-à-vis Andretti, in prior statements.”
Indecision
The FIA originally approved Andretti’s bid in October 2023. This occurred on sporting and technical grounds after conducting an expression of interest process.
They passed this on to F1 to assess Andretti’s financial legitimacy. After a four-month review, they announced at the end of January that the team did not meet their criteria to enter the sport, and they rejected the application.
The decision left Michael Andretti “devastated.” He has since continued on with his plans and has built a team with over 200 employees thus far.
Teams are Welcome
Maffei has since reiterated that F1 would expand the grid beyond the 10 that pre-exists.
“We are certainly not against the idea that any expansion is wrong,” he said. “There is a methodology for expansion that requires approval of the FIA and F1, and both groups have to find the criteria met.
“We are certainly open to new entrants making applications and potentially being approved if those requirements are met.”
Image Credit: Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker
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