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Could Andretti enter F1, but simply not be on TV?

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Jericoke:
https://thesportsrush.com/f1-news-all-screens-could-go-black-during-race-weekends-should-f1-reject-andretti-entry/

According to this article it is very difficult for the FIA to disqualify a team from running in F1 unless they're demonstrably dangerous.  Legally, as long as Andretti can build an F1 car and prove they have the cash to run it for a season, they can join the competitive aspect of F1.

However the Concorde agreement remains a private arrangement for the commercial aspect of the sport, and Liberty doesn't need to sign every team.  In theory Andretti could join, and simply not be eligible for any money.  In exchange for not participating commercially, Liberty wouldn't be able to show any of the Andretti personnel... or cars... on TV.  So if Colton Herta got pole position, Sky wouldn't be able to include that information in their broadcast, and the start of the race would have to be filmed so that the pole sitter wasn't visible.

Obviously this is unlikely to happen, but given the secretive nature of the Concorde agreement, if a single team won't agree to an 11th team joining, that could be enough to block Andretti from participating commercially.  I don't even know where it would stand up in the pantheon of weird things happening in F1.

cosworth151:
They also wouldn't be eligible for the end-of-season financial distributions included in the Concord agreement. That alone would doom the team.

Dare:
That's a shame Andretti would be a real American F1 race team.
Haas reminds me of NASCAR has gone a Formula 1'ing

Jericoke:

--- Quote from: cosworth151 on September 14, 2023, 06:01:46 PM ---They also wouldn't be eligible for the end-of-season financial distributions included in the Concord agreement. That alone would doom the team.

--- End quote ---

With the salary cap in place, and backing from GM, they might be able to run a strong enough business case to race without a commercial disbursement.

After all, we still expect 11th place to get nothing, even if Andretti is welcomed with open arms?  I seem to recall that HRT, Virgin (and BMW Sauber without BMW because of the late paperwork filing?) weren't eligible for funds no matter where they finished for a fixed number of years.  So it's possible to race in F1 without getting paid. 

Obviously it's a tough business case if your cars (more importantly sponsors) aren't going to show up on TV, but Michael Andretti isn't above doing things the hard way to prove a point.  If they win a few races (unlikely, but in a new rules era who knows?) F1 wouldn't be able to let things continue like that.  Not to mention, it paints Andretti as an American outsider/underdog story, which can generate a lot of support if handled correctly.  How many people who don't watch F1 would follow the story just to see how insane it all is?

Again, this is all hypothetical.  If Andretti is going to race, I don't really see how Liberty would let them actually be excluded from TV coverage.  Even if Andretti isn't part of Concorde, a separate flat rights fee might come across.  They'd actually make MORE money that way if they do finish last!

John S:
Jeri, IMHO these stories about Liberty being able to exclude an FIA endorsed F1 team from access to appearance, prize money, or TV time, are perhaps bogus but certainly not definitive. You might also call them normal F1 misdirection, maybe even planted by Liberty sources to try and de-stabilise things.

The European Union insisted on F1 governance & commercial aspects being split up years ago to ensure that sharp, anti competetive practices couldn't take place. Therefore FIA signed a licensing agreement with one Bernard Charles Eccelstone, at the time owner of FOM.

Never mind the Concorde agreements it's this license agreement between FIA and FOM/Liberty that counts here. Because of it's commercial sensitivity it may be secret, well at least confidential. The FIA however is legally a strange hybrid body - i.e. not a normal registered for profit company or a straight charity - in which case this licensing agreement may be in the public domain somewhere, in full or part.
I don't know where one would look but hopefully Alianora might read this and either know where to find it or even what's in it.

Should Liberty or the teams try to exclude an FIA authourised team, without just cause, then EU anti competetive legislation would mean a possible court visit for a hearing & judgement. I suspect that the original license agreement gives carte blanche to the FIA to select new entrants and FOM/Liberty have to live with it.

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