The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has appealed to Liberty Media and F1 management for documents and information regarding the rejection of the Andretti Cadillac team.
While the FIA gave Andretti the green light, Formula 1 rejected his entry request. Nevertheless, Andretti is still preparing to enter the championship. He recently opened a factory in Silverstone.
F1 was approached by a group of congressmen a few days ago. Now Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has done the same.
Both Liberty Media and F1 wrote the letter, which was published by American NBC. In it, Jordan requests documents and information regarding F1’s decision to deny Andretti a place on the grid. He also asked for a meeting, which should take place by May 21 at the latest.
Jordan wants answers to make sure there was no illegal anti-competitive behavior.
“Sports leagues such as Formula 1 operate in a significant area of antitrust law where some degree of collusion is necessary to create a product,” Jordan wrote. “However, if a sports league deviates from its rules and procedures in a way that restricts competition and reduces consumer interest in the product, it may constitute anticompetitive conduct.”
Among other things, Jordan takes issue with the argument that Andretti-Cadillac would not be competitive.
“Formula 1, for example, claimed that a new team could only add value to Formula 1 by ‘competing for podiums and race wins’. However, the FIA has already analyzed – and approved – Andretti Cadilac’s technical capabilities to compete with current teams, and most current teams in Formula 1 do not meet the Formula 1 standard of regularly competing for ‘podiums and race wins’.”
Tags: bigger committee Congress began examine Andrettis refusal F1sport .cz
