The United States House Judiciary Committee has launched an investigation into Mario Andretti’s failed F1 bid.

The FIA approved Andretti Cadillac’s bid to become F1’s 11th team, but bosses Liberty Media rejected the American team, citing doubts over their competitiveness and value.

The chairman of the judiciary committee Jim Jordan has opened an investigation, to be held no later than May 21.

In a letter to Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, seen by NBC, Jordan wrote: “The Committee on the Judiciary is responsible for examining the sufficiency of federal competition laws to protect against monopolies and other unfair restraints on trade.

“Sports leagues, like Formula 1, operate in a notable area of antitrust law in which some degree of collusion is necessary for the creation of the product.

“However, when a sports league deviates from its rules and practices in a manner that reduces competition and depresses consumer interest in the product, the collusion may amount to anti-competitive conduct.

“According we write to request request information about Formula One’s decision to block the partnership of Andretti Global and General Motors.

“The excuses put forward for denying Andretti Cadillac’s entry appear to be pretextual, arbitrary, and unrelated to Andretti Cadillac’s suitability to compete in Formula 1.”