US senators call for investigation into Andretti rejection

Senators call for investigation

Six US senators are calling on the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into Andretti-Cadillac's bid rejection. This reports The Athletic. The senators have written a letter suggesting that the bid was rejected for different reasons than the FOM claims. "It is possible that such a refusal to deal — especially if orchestrated through a group boycott could violate U.S. antitrust laws.."

According to Formula One, the bid was rejected because the Andretti team would not add value to the championship. "F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around. On the basis of the application as it stands, we do not believe that the Applicant has shown that it would add value to the championship. We conclude that the Applicant’s application to participate in the championship should not be successful."

The letter, signed by, among others, Senator Amy Klobuchar, the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, was sent to Lina Khan, the chair of the FTC, and Jonathan Kanter, the assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Antitrust Division. The House Judiciary Committee has already launched its own investigation.

This article was written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.