What a GM and Andretti split would mean for the Andretti Cadillac antitrust investigation

Michael Andretti has stepped back from the daily running of Andretti Global, the race team he’s run since 2002. However, recent rumors have suggested that Cadillac is still interested in pursuing an entry in Formula 1.

The rumor leaves ample unanswered questions about the future of Andretti Global, as well as its Formula 1 aspirations — and today, we’re going to look at what this could mean for the antitrust investigation currently being undertaken by the United States Department of Justice.

If Andretti and Cadillac part ways, what happens to the antitrust investigation?

In early May, former Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti visited Congress in Washington D.C., after which a group of 12 lawmakers sent a letter to Greg Maffei of Liberty Media demanding answers as to why Andretti Global was denied entry to the Formula 1 world.

The letter alleged that Formula 1 and Liberty Media were engaging in anticompetitive behavior in direct violation of the Sherman Antitrust act of 1890. The letter requested more information from Liberty regarding how the decision to reject Andretti Global’s F1 team proposal was made, and it suggested that the rejection of the team was a direct result of the series’ desire to protect the interests of its current European teams.

In August of 2024, Greg Maffei confirmed to investors that the United States Department of Justice was in fact investigating Liberty Media, and that Liberty was fully cooperating with the request for information.

However, with news that Michael Andretti would be stepping back from his role as head of Andretti Global in late September, countless questions have been raised about the future of the team — both within the motorsport world, and as far as this antitrust investigation is concerned.

More on Cadillac and Andretti:

👉 Cadillac without Andretti? F1 rumour suggests different reason behind Michael Andretti departure

👉 Revealed: Who are the 12 U.S. Congress members questioning Andretti’s rejected F1 bid?

As PlanetF1.com wrote at the time, the 12 Congresspeople who signed the initial letter to Greg Maffei comprised a diverse group of both Democratic and Republican politicians representing regions in Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, and Florida.

A majority of the Congresspeople involved in the letter are keenly involved in committees designed to improve transportation and infrastructure, while almost all represent a district featuring a General Motors plant.

This is key. While the May 1 letter from Congress addresses concerns about F1 preventing two American companies (GM and Andretti) from competing on an international battlefield, the big concern seemed to center around GM.

In fact, the second paragraph of the letter reads, “This partnership, which includes GM and the thousands of its workers who we represent, would showcase exceptional American engineering and design skills, including the production of the only American-built and designed engine (power unit) in Formula 1.”

The letter also points out that the FOM’s rejection seems conspicuous, as the organization represents a “line-up of European Formula 1 race teams, many of which are affiliated with foreign automobile manufacturers that directly compete with American automotive companies like GM.”

In the three questions presented to Maffei, the 12 Congresspeople ask how the denial of “American-owned companies” like Andretti Global and GM can be legal if it benefits “European racing teams and their foreign automobile manufacturing affiliates?”

It all comes back to General Motors.

There’s good reason for this. A study by Oxford Economics found that GM “directly created over $39.2 billion worth of American Gross Domestic Product in 2022, and one quarter of all the GDP generated by U.S. automotive manufactures.” Further, GM alone boasts a greater economic footprint than “13 U.S. states combined.”

Further, in 2022, GM hires accounted for 10% of the entire U.S. automotive manufacturing workforce.

And that’s just the economic impact. GM also regularly lobbies Congresspeople and makes large donations to candidates that support public policies that would align with GM’s goals as a company. Those GM lobbyists would have a strong incentive to forge strong partnerships with politicians in the U.S., including, likely, some of the 12 signatories of the initial letter to Maffei.

When it comes to mounting an antitrust investigation against Liberty, then, GM would be able to make a much stronger case that denial to F1 has harmed its business than Andretti — especially as Cadillac continues to mount a European expansion with electric vehicles like the Lyriq and Celestiq.

Michael Andretti’s presence at Andretti Global seemed to be one of the largest hurdles blocking the team from being approved to join Formula 1. In its rejection letter, Formula One Management stated it would be interested in Cadillac joining F1 as a works team or power unit manufacturer, but felt Andretti alone failed to provide worthwhile value to F1.

Further, Greg Maffei allegedly told Mario Andretti that he would personally ensure Michael Andretti never be allowed into F1.

With Michael Andretti stepping back from the daily running of Andretti Global, then, the team’s co-owner Dan Towriss will be taking on a more active role. Towriss is CEO and president of Group1001, an Indianapolis-based insurance group rumored to be worth around $39 billion.

Towriss, then, has been the one funding Andretti’s expansion in IndyCar, IMSA, and into Formula 1. Cadillac is rumored to be interested in working with Towriss in the future, as he would be able to fund an F1 program without Cadillac needing to invest a massive amount of capital into doing so.

As a result, the antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice is likely to continue because, at the end of the day, the lawmakers encouraging the investigation were primarily concerned about the impact the FOM’s rejection would have on Cadillac and General Motors.

With Michael Andretti out of the picture, it’s also possible that the DOJ, the FOM, and Cadillac could more readily agree on a set of terms that would see the GM brand participating in F1, albeit with less Andretti influence.

The situation regarding Andretti Global and Cadillac is still in flux, making it challenging to predict with certainty what will happen in the future. One thing seems certain, though: The relationship between Andretti, Cadillac, Formula 1, and the U.S. government will likely grow ever more complex.

Read next: Andretti Global and Group 1001: How a racing sponsorship became team co-ownership