F1 News: FIA Shoots Down Legal Action Over Andretti Bid
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is confident that the matter over Andretti Cadillac won't reach the courts in the future. Even if FOM rejects the American team after its assessment, it can still go ahead and participate without obtaining approval.
Having approved Andretti Cadillac to enter the world of Formula 1 against the wishes of several team principals and the FOM in general, Ben Sulayem went a step ahead during the Qatar GP weekend to express his desire to have more teams on the grid with fewer races on the calendar.
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However, the new addition might cause the governing body and F1 to lock horns with intensity because the majority of team owners and the sport's owners don't want an eleventh team. But, they don't mind the entry of General Motors as an independent candidate.
What is left currently is a business assessment by the owners of F1 into Andretti Cadillac, which should help obtain financial details to conclude if the new team won't be a financial burden in the future. Once those formalities are dealt with, Andretti would be allowed to race in Formula 1.
Andretti Press Image
However, news circulated that if that didn't go in Andretti's favor, the team would move to court as the rejection could be seen as a violation of the anti-competition law. But Ben Sulayem says that the new team will not consider the legal route even if they aren't given the green light. He told the media:
"No we won't have to go to court.
"I don't think any of us want to go to court.
"Maybe it sounds very exciting and threatening to the media. It's like, it's very, very nice to them. But it will not go to court, I am sure of that. Why should we go to court?"
When asked how he was so confident of Andretti not taking legal action in the future, the FIA president explained:
"There are many aspects to this. First of all, you look at, it is an American, Liberty is an American company. I read that Liberty were approving and they were saying we would like to have an 11th team. And then looking at the share price, that it went up instead of down when we declared it, that's good for them. And thirdly, to say no to an American OEM, it's very hard. In the country, it's good for business."
The Rejection That Won't Matter
Ben Sulayem also explained that in case Andretti was rejected from entering the sport, the team could still participate without being a part of the commercial agreement that binds the ten teams. But, he stressed that the matter won't go so far:
"If FOM refuses to have the funds, still the team can enter by the way, you know that.
"But, do you really think it will go that far?
"One thing I would say, I hope and I trust Stefano. Stefano doesn't come from only commercial, Stefano comes from the automotive industry and the sport also."
The president also added that the FIA intended to add value to the sport rather than place it in a strange position with Andretti. He concluded by saying that the motive was not to break relations:
"It won't break it between us.
"We did not put FOM in a strange position. There was no, none of my people, either me or the FIA, had this intention at all. That's very clear. Our intention is to add value to the sport and to make an OEM."
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