US justice system is investigating Formula 1 owner Liberty Media

Formula 1 owner Liberty Media is the target of a US Department of Justice investigation.

The reason is the apparent rejection of the American team Andretti's request for a starting spot. In May, six US senators asked the judiciary to review the rejection on suspicion of antitrust violations. “We intend to cooperate fully with this investigation,” Liberty Media chairman Greg Maffei said.

After months of testing, at the end of January, Formula 1 leadership clearly rejected Michael Andretti’s racing team starting in the series next year. The FIA ​​had previously announced the starting slots for two other racing teams and supported Andretti’s efforts. What followed was a difficult process and heated debate, including with the ten current Formula 1 teams.

The racing series leadership has come to the conclusion that the 11th team will not provide any added value starting next year. The existing racing teams are already criticizing the expansion of the field of participants because they would then have to share billions in revenue with another team. Maffei said Liberty Media is now open to new participants who apply and are likely to be accepted if certain requirements are met.

Formula 1 also justified its negative decision for 2025 by reforming the main engine rules from 2026. Building a car and engine for just one year and thus being competitive and then producing a completely new engine for 2026 was considered a hopeless assessment. Formula 1 still sees a chance for Andretti to start, but only in four years. Then GM wants to team up with Andretti in the racing series as an independent engine supplier.