JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
In the world of auto racing, one of the best known names is Andretti. But that seems to have no sway in a high-stakes tussle over whether the Andretti race team can join the prestigious global Formula One series. Now some members of Congress are questioning whether it was legal for Formula One to turn Andretti away. Member station WDET's Quinn Klinefelter has more.
QUINN KLINEFELTER, BYLINE: Mario Andretti has been a winner in almost every type of racing, including Formula One, something he talked about at a news conference a few months ago with members of Congress.
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MARIO ANDRETTI: I was the last American to win a Formula One race when I won a world championship in '78. And my son Michael was the last American on the podium at the Italian Grand Prix in 1993, and we want to resume that.
KLINEFELTER: Not as drivers - both he and his son retired decades ago. Since then, Michael Andretti has established a business empire as a racing team owner and wants to field cars in Formula One. Mario Andretti says his son would have the only F1 team based in the U.S. with cars built here, engines supplied by General Motors and at least one American driver.
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ANDRETTI: We want to be able to represent the United States on the world stage in Formula One, which, basically, I consider Formula One the Olympics of motorsports. So help us achieve this.
KLINEFELTER: Formula One's governing body, the FIA, approved Andretti's bid, yet the series management, representing the team owners also had to sign off on the application. And when Andretti very publicly announced his intentions more than a year ago, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told Sky Sports those owners had concerns.
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STEFANO DOMENICALI: We are very welcome of everyone that is bringing value to the racing. You know, you are talking about Andretti. And we don't have to overreact because someone is pushing the system. I believe that today what is more vital is to protect the growth of the sport.
KLINEFELTER: The Formula One management rejected Andretti's bid, arguing the proposed U.S. team would not bring enough value to the series or likely be that competitive. They said Andretti could reapply for 2028. The decision was not popular with some U.S. racing fans or on Capitol Hill. Michigan Congressman John James, whose state is home to GM, maintains that preventing the U.S. team from entering Formula One is more about F1 owners not wanting to split profits from races with a new entrant.
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JOHN JAMES: I'll let you figure out if this is cartel-type behavior.
KLINEFELTER: And members of Congress asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Formula One was running afoul of U.S. antitrust laws.
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JAMES: If you want access to our markets, if you want access to our fans, then you must grant access to our companies. You must grant access to Americans themselves.
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KLINEFELTER: The U.S. has many different types of racing, like these IndyCars. But Formula One has struggled for decades to gain popularity in the lucrative U.S. market. That began to change several years ago when the COVID pandemic hit, and Americans forced to stay home became hooked on a Netflix series that shows a behind-the-scenes look at the drama in Formula One called "Drive To Survive."
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TOTO WOLFF: I can tell you that all of you are playing a dangerous game. If a car ends in the wall, I'm going to come after you.
DANIEL FRANCIS: It was "Drive To Survive" that originally caused me to fall in love with Formula One.
KLINEFELTER: Daniel Francis is not just a fan. He's a New York University law professor and a former deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission, who specialized in antitrust enforcement. He says Formula One has a good case to make if it can back up its claim that Andretti would not be competitive enough to bring value to the series.
FRANCIS: If you're saying, how can we keep other players from getting a slice of this pie, even if letting them in would make the pie more appealing, then you might have an antitrust headache.
KLINEFELTER: FIA officials who approved Michael Andretti's bid now suggest he should try to buy out an existing F1 team, something he tried to do twice before. That could cost close to $1 billion if a team would sell. Instead, Andretti is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into new facilities in the U.S. and England, saying he's met every current requirement and remains intent on joining F1 in 2026. Now he just needs to get his bid across the finish line so his team can start an actual Formula One race. For NPR News, I'm Quinn Klinefelter in Detroit.
(SOUNDBITE OF GARY NUMAN SONG, "CARS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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