Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti held a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol with Michigan Rep. John James to make their case for admitting Andretti Cadillac on the grid.
Surely any country could do this, making it laughably unrealistic.
Any country could just say “according to our interpretation of our law X, you must allow new F1 entries from our country”
I imagine the FIA is under no obligation to allow entry of a team just because some country where the FIA isn’t even based demands it.
I guess Liberty being American adds complexity, but as far as I know it’s not up to them.
Similarly, if the UK said their laws state that UK teams should be able to join the NFL, it should be laughed at. But that’s what the US is doing here.
The EU also has laws about anti competitive practices and I would think this letter might stir their interest.
First of all, the FIA is a sanctioning body which only owns the F1 brand. It is very much in the US, since it sanctions racing here. I myself held an FIA license. The FIA approved Andretti’s inclusion.
Liberty and the F1 Constructors are the ones on the hook.
Yes, I’m aware there are races in the US. I’m saying all they can really do is stop them from racing in the US, and a couple of other peripheral things to be a thorn in F1’s side to apply pressure. They can’t really impose terms on the FIA beyond that, because it’s not their jurisdiction.
Besides, the Concorde Agreement is set out in English law. They’d have to challenge it in an English court.
Seems to me there might be other kinds of problems. For instance, Formula One is listed on the NY Stock Exchange. At the very least, an anti-trust suit would wound the company. But, it could turn into bigger things. GM/Andretti would get a whole lot of money in damages. Considering what happened to FIFA…
But, this letter is merely a shot across the bow it seems to me. They have to answer it, so we’ll see what they say.
Agreed. But they can’t really force the FIA to follow and rules the US says, as the FIA isn’t in the US. All they can do is threaten to not let them race in the US.
Additionally, the Concorde Agreement, which is what they’re taking issue with, is set out in English Law, and would need to be challenged in an English court.
All they could really do is threaten to take US races away, or the Netflix series. The FIA, constructors, and to some extent FOM is not under US jurisdiction.
Surely any country could do this, making it laughably unrealistic.
Any country could just say “according to our interpretation of our law X, you must allow new F1 entries from our country”
I imagine the FIA is under no obligation to allow entry of a team just because some country where the FIA isn’t even based demands it.
I guess Liberty being American adds complexity, but as far as I know it’s not up to them.
Similarly, if the UK said their laws state that UK teams should be able to join the NFL, it should be laughed at. But that’s what the US is doing here.
The EU also has laws about anti competitive practices and I would think this letter might stir their interest.
First of all, the FIA is a sanctioning body which only owns the F1 brand. It is very much in the US, since it sanctions racing here. I myself held an FIA license. The FIA approved Andretti’s inclusion.
Liberty and the F1 Constructors are the ones on the hook.
Yes, I’m aware there are races in the US. I’m saying all they can really do is stop them from racing in the US, and a couple of other peripheral things to be a thorn in F1’s side to apply pressure. They can’t really impose terms on the FIA beyond that, because it’s not their jurisdiction.
Besides, the Concorde Agreement is set out in English law. They’d have to challenge it in an English court.
Seems to me there might be other kinds of problems. For instance, Formula One is listed on the NY Stock Exchange. At the very least, an anti-trust suit would wound the company. But, it could turn into bigger things. GM/Andretti would get a whole lot of money in damages. Considering what happened to FIFA…
But, this letter is merely a shot across the bow it seems to me. They have to answer it, so we’ll see what they say.
But F1 is racing in the US, in theory there’s a threat of Vegas, Miami or COTA cancelling their contracts.
Agreed. But they can’t really force the FIA to follow and rules the US says, as the FIA isn’t in the US. All they can do is threaten to not let them race in the US.
Additionally, the Concorde Agreement, which is what they’re taking issue with, is set out in English Law, and would need to be challenged in an English court.
All they could really do is threaten to take US races away, or the Netflix series. The FIA, constructors, and to some extent FOM is not under US jurisdiction.
Not if the FIA want to stay and operate in that country. The FIA is not exempt from national laws.
Sure they can leave the US. But if they want to operate in the US, believe it or not, US laws apply.