Formula 1 facing anti-bias probe

Formula 1 motor racing could face an anti-competition investigation after a complaint was lodged on Wednesday with the European Commission alleging bias in the sport's selection process for new entrants.

The complaint was made by Serbian engineering company AMCO which intended to enter F1 next year with its Stefan Grand Prix team, named after chief executive Zoran Stefanovic. He claims that F1's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), broke competition law by insisting that new teams use engines made by Northamptonshire-based Cosworth.

Its complaint says that "AMCO Corporation was forced by the FIA to sign with Cosworth and AMCO is complaining because of that... There is an element of plot behind our back which we are not capable of getting rid of without the Directorate General for Competition."

AMCO originally planned to use an engine from F1's current manufacturers, such as Mercedes and Ferrari, but reluctantly agreed to switch to Cosworth as per the FIA's alleged demand.

However AMCO's application was rejected and it has complained to the EC in an attempt to get the selection process carried out again.

AMCO claims that the justification for this is a breach of the competition law preventing restrictive practices which "limit or control production, markets, technical development, or investment..."

The risk that the EC could declare the selection process invalid may alone be enough to derail the plans of Manor, Campos and US F1, the three teams which were selected by the FIA to join F1 next year. They are in the process of raising the $100 million (£60 million) needed to compete in F1 and any cloud over their participation could weaken their chances. However, AMCO said that carrying out the team selection again would ultimately be in the best interests of the sport because preventing other manufacturers from supplying engines "is an act of limiting technical development, not just competition, and such restriction is blatantly damaging to Formula 1."

This would not be the first time that F1 has suffered the wrath of the EC.

In the late 1990s the FIA had to sell the rights to the sport for 100 years and made significant changes to its structure after a ruling that it had restricted competition through its support of F1.

Formula 1 facing anti-bias probe - Telegraph

^ Omg, how much more will they do to harm F1's Future. This is ridiculous. Im pretty sure that Idiot Max Mosely is behind all this.

Originally Posted by SoMxNemesis

^ Omg, how much more will they do to harm F1's Future. This is ridiculous. Im pretty sure that Idiot Max Mosely is behind all this.

Yeah,,,that Moron Mosley's backing will be there