Andretti and GM's F1 Snub Has Reached U.S. Congress
It has been three months since Formula 1 rejected Andretti and Cadillac's bid to join the Formula 1 grid for the 2026 season, but the Andretti proposal is not done and the group is exploring many avenues to join the F1 grid in the near future anyway. The latest push comes with some help from unlikely allies: 12 U.S. lawmakers.
In a letter addressed to CEO Greg Maffey of Formula 1 rights owners Liberty Media, a dozen members of congress jointly raise concerns over "apparent anti-competitive actions" keeping the team off future Formula 1 grids. The letter goes on to ask three key questions, each tied to how the decisions impact American businesses Andretti Global and General Motors. One even invokes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890, which "outlaws unreasonable restraints on market competition to produce the best outcome for the American consumer." The letter ends with a request to receive an answer to those questions by this Friday, May 3rd. It also notes that the representatives "continue to exercise oversight on this matter... to ensure that any potential violations of U.S. anticompetition laws are expeditiously investigated and pursued."
In a statement released this afternoon, the team acknowledges the letter and once again expresses that the group is continuing to build a team in the hopes of racing in 2026. The statement continues:
"We are grateful to the bipartisan members of Congress for their support in challenging this anti-competitive behavior. We remain committed to bringing the first US works team and power unit to F1 and to giving American fans a home team to root for. It is our hope that this can be resolved swiftly so that Andretti Cadillac can take its rightfully approved place on the grid in 2026. Our work continues at pace."
The Andretti Global team was approved by the FIA last October, but the American-owned Formula 1 rights-holders also have to sign off on any entry before the team can race. The program has already begun listing job openings for its Formula 1 operation and, along with Cadillac, seems to be moving forward as if a 2026 entry is still possible. GM's factory engine program is expected to be online in 2028, so the still-unapproved team would become a full works team in four years.
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