F1 dispute with Andretti Global draws in U.S. lawmakers

A dispute over whether to accept American motorsports giant Andretti Global as Formula One's 11th team is reaching boiling point.

Tensions reportedly spilled over at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month as the CEO of F1's parent company, Liberty Media, told the F1 legend Mario Andretti that he "will do everything in his power to see that Michael [Mario's son and head of Andretti Global] never enters Formula One."

Liberty Media declined to comment on the report by NBC News dated Thursday, which cited sources with knowledge of the incident, although an anonymous source close to Liberty Media said that the conversation occurred differently from how Andretti had described it.

It's the latest twist in the Andretti saga, which started in October 2023 when the sport's governing body, the FIA, approved the American team's bid to join the grid. Three months later, F1, the sport's commercial arm, quashed the bid, arguing that Andretti wouldn't be competitive in 2025 or 2026. It argued that it would need to fight for race wins and podiums to bring any significant benefit to the sport.

A group of U.S. lawmakers have accused F1 of "cartel-like behavior," suggesting the sport has benefited from access to America's giant and lucrative marketing without sharing the spoils. 

And in recent weeks, the House Judiciary Committee opened an inquiry into the saga, and senators have also called for an antitrust investigation. U.S. Congress has also written to F1 requesting an explanation. CNBC has reached out to F1 for comment.

Andretti Global has also secured a major scalp with the hire of former F1 CTO Pat Symonds earlier this week.

Speaking to CNBC, Mario Andretti said that "we were supposed to have a meeting in Miami, but they [F1] didn't take