U.S. lawmakers demand answers about Andretti's exclusion from Formula 1
www.nbcnews.com
Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti and Rep. John James made their case for admitting Andretti Cadillac on the grid at a news conference outside the Capitol.
  • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I want Andretti in F1 too (well, more precisely I want another team or two. Or at least someone else to take over a pointless team like Haas or Minardi Toro Rosso Alpha Tauri Diet Red Bull, I don’t really give a shit whether it’s Andretti or not)

    But what the hell does this have to do with random US politicians? They don’t have a say on this. This just seems like some politician trying to get a bit of free PR. He surely can’t actually believe his shouting into the wind counts for anything, can he?

    If this nonsense is allowed, imagine the can of worms it would open. All of a sudden plenty of countries could say it’s not fair and demand they also have teams allowed to enter. Should the NFL have to let British teams join if the UK government started kicking up a fuss about it? I’d say no.

    • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
      0·
      3 years ago

      As the article explains, Congressmen invoked the Sherman Act. That has to do with competitive markets. congress has the authority to make laws and make sure they are followed in interstate commerce, which F1 falls under. So, they are doing their job.

      • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        3 years ago

        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.

          • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            3 years ago

            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.

        • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
          0·
          3 years ago

          As the article says, the Congressman from Michigan is involved. Michigan is the home of GM. GM is going to reintroduce the Cadillac name to Europe. GM is being excluded from marketing though F1. So, it’s probably GM not Mario. Though, Mario has plenty of money.

      • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        3 years ago

        The NFL doesn’t allow competition from teams from plenty of countries. Should those countries be able to sue the NFL on that basis, saying it’s anti-competitive?

        If your opinion on the above is “no”, could you then explain what merits this double standard?

        There seems to be an element of US exceptionalism here. The US does not get to impose management terms on foreign sporting organisations, except for the events that take place within their borders.

  • exanime@lemmy.today
    0·
    3 years ago

    This will help as much as your mother calling the CEO of the company that didn’t hire you, to demand reasons why they didn’t think her baby is awesome