F1 Owner Confirms DOJ Probe Over Andretti-Cadillac Denial

It has been made clear that members of the US Congress had some questions about Formula 1's decision to keep a joint venture between Andretti Global and General Motors' Cadillac Racing from joining the grid.  Now, the CEO of Liberty Media, which owns Formula 1, has confirmed that they are in the midst of a probe by the US Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said that the company will be cooperative with the DOJ.

"Looking at Andretti, as you saw this morning, we announced that there is a DoJ investigation," Maffei said in a quarterly earnings call, per Autosport.

"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 our decision, vis-a-vis Andretti in prior statements."

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei confirmed that the company — which owns Formula 1 — will cooperate with a United States Department of Justice antitrust probe. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Bi-partisan members of both the House and Senate sent letters to Liberty and Formula 1 over snubbing Andretti and expressed concern that the move violated US antitrust law. They questioned several aspects of the denial, including whether F1's decision had been made in the best interest of current teams or for foreign automakers already involved in the series.

The FIA previously gave the thumbs up to the Andretti-Cadillac bid, but Formula 1 itself shot it down.  This was primarily due to a concern that the team wouldn't be successful in the medium term and would end up doing nothing more than diluting the series' revenue pool.

However, this came after Andretti Global navigated several hurdles including indications that F1 wanted any new teams to bring along a new engine manufacturer, which is where Cadillac came in.

However, despite the headaches that Andretti and Cadillac have seen over the last couple of years, Maffei said that Liberty and F1 are not opposed to adding new teams to the grid.

"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 the F1 and both groups have to find the criteria met. We're certainly open to new entrants making applications and potentially being approved if those requirements are met."