By Zaina Mirza

F1 in America: A Brief History

America has found a new infatuation in Formula 1. The high speed and prestigious crown of Motorsport, with its state-of-the-art cars and daredevil drivers, has finally charmed the hearts of Americans across the country, much thanks to the massive success of Netflix’s Drive To Survive in 2020. As recent as this newfound interest in F1 is for the American consciousness, it’s an interest that F1 has been seeking since its very inception.

Since its emergence in the 1950s, Formula 1 implemented multiple measures, throughout its history, to create a stronghold in the US via an American Grand Prix (a race event) but most, if not all, of these attempts failed to hold purchase. It wasn’t until 2012 that F1 finally found a circuit that could serve as their permanent home for racing in the States: The Circuit of The Americas (COTA), in Austin, Texas. Combined with the popularity boom of Drive to Survive in 2020, Formula 1 saw a resurgence within the American sphere. Soon after, F1 added two new races: one in Las Vegas and another in Miami, to expand the banner of the US Grand Prix, further fueling the sport’s growing popularity with the American people and within the American market. 

After almost 60 years of trying and failing efforts, Formula 1 had finally achieved its goal of a large and thriving US viewership. However, as keen as F1 was to continue furthering its place in the American market, the sport wasn’t quite so keen on letting America further its place in Formula 1.

Enter Andretti, An American Headache

Racing legends and American household team, Andretti Global, had their eyes set on a Formula 1 entry as the first-ever All-American Team to race on the highly prestigious and competitive Formula 1 grid. With the largest American automobile manufacturer, General Motors, as their engine suppliers and the promise of at least one American Driver racing for the team, former F1 driver and son of Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 World Champion, Michael Andretti had high ambitions of bringing the American Identity to Formula 1. However, his ambitions were put on hold when Formula One Management (FOM), the commercial arm of the sport, rejected Andretti’s bid to join as the 11th team on the grid in 2025 or 2026. 

The decision incited a massive upset with fans and media around the world—the decision was particularly tough for American fans who desperately wanted an US representing team that wasn’t the Haas F1 Team. F1 justified their rejection by saying that the proposed US team wouldn’t have brought enough value or competitiveness to Formula 1. This decision struck America as odd. 

Andretti Global is a celebrated racing team in various other series of motorsport, from IndyCar to Formula E. The team has demonstrated its competitiveness through not just its decorated history and current innovation, but also, the active efforts it has poured into building an F1 team that meets the sport’s standards. If Andretti’s competitive capacity is to be believed, was F1’s rejection of their bid in total good faith? 

Andretti and Congress don’t believe it to be so. 

The US Government Would Like To Speak Now

To earn a Formula 1 entry, a team’s bid has to be approved by FOM and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body of the sport. The FIA and its CEO, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, had been publicly in favor of granting entry to an 11th team, having approved Andretti’s Bid without consulting FOM. The unprecedented nature of the bid being approved by the FIA but not by F1 raised more than a few issues with Andretti; issues that the company decided to approach Congress with. 

Congressman John James, a Michigan Republican whose state is home to General Motors, was approached by Andretti regarding FOM’s decision. He, alongside a group of like-minded Congress members, wrote a letter to Liberty Media, the American Owner of Formula One, demanding explanations for FOM’s rejection. On the steps of Capitol Hill, Congressman James accused F1 of “cartel-like behavior” by refusing to admit Andretti into the global sport on a possible account of not wanting to split the profits of the sport’s revenue with an 11th team. It is widely acknowledged that the current F1 teams oppose Andretti’s entry as it would greatly dilute the prize fund and they believe that the $200 million anti-dilution fee Andretti has to pay for entry would not be enough. While F1 stressed the fact that they did not consider the concerns of the existing teams during their evaluation of the Andretti Proposal, Congress still argued, in a letter addressed to the US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission, that F1 was protecting European rival teams, prioritizing foreign automakers, and blocking not only competition but also opportunity from American auto racing companies such as Andretti and GM. So now, the US Department of Justice is officially investigating the owners of Formula 1 for a potential breach of antitrust Laws. 

Was Formula 1 The Problem All Along?

The likelihood of a full-blown lawsuit transpiring between the US and Formula 1 is fairly slim, as court injunctions are truly the last thing any major company wants to deal with. However, the grander implications of such a potential lawsuit leave uncomfortable truths for US audiences to wrangle with.

Formula 1’s recent rise to popularity in the US has served as an incredible breakthrough for the sport and the US Auto Racing landscape. Although it has always been a world-renowned sport, Formula 1 was and is predominantly a European sport. The American team that currently fields in F1, the Haas F1 Team, is only American in ownership; it’s powered by Ferrari, an Italian team (and soon, Toyota, a Japanese team), and is composed of largely non-American personnel. And while the sport claims to be open to all drivers around the world, it’s no secret that most of the junior/feeder series for F1, such as karting competitions and F3 regional championships, are all heavily located in the eastern hemisphere, particularly Europe. They’re also vastly different from the racing experience that can be gained in the American scene of Junior Motorsport, which means that American drivers are at a fundamental disadvantage from the get-go. F1 has had exactly four American drivers since the 1990s and the most recent one, Logan Sargeant, just got fired. 

The lack of American representation in F1 is why the prospect of an All-American Team, led by one of the most decorated racing families in the world, at the very pinnacle of motorsport was invaluable to US fans and the sport at large. F1’s blatant refusal of American participation leaves these very fans deliberating the future of American Motorsport. 

Andretti is, of course, welcome to bid again for a 2028 spot in the championship, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t get rejected again. Andretti has already spent four years fielding massive amounts of money into car and team development, and who knows if they’ll be able (for there’s no question about willingness) to spend another four without sponsorships and racing revenue to sustain them. Things are already shaking up at Andretti Global with an ownership switch, leaving fans and media to wonder whether America’s big shot at F1 just got passed up.