F1 Rumor: Insider leaks FIA sued as renewed rejection of a team leads to backlash

Hitech Grand Prix has reportedly taken legal action against the FIA ​​after its application to join the prestigious racing series was rejected, with insider reports from British F1 journalist Joe Saward revealing details of the “confidential” settlement.

The FIA ​​had invited new offers for a possible entry into Formula 1, among which Hitech GP and Andretti Cadillac emerged as prominent candidates. Ultimately, the FIA ​​approved Andretti Cadillac’s offer for further consideration, citing commercial viability, while Hitech GP’s proposal was rejected. This rejection did not please Hitech GP, led by Oliver Oakes, as he believed their project was superior to Andretti’s.

Oakes and his supporters were convinced that the FIA ​​had exceeded its authority by rejecting their offer on financial grounds. They then quietly began a legal battle. The lawsuit, which was kept top secret, challenged the FIA’s authority to interfere in the commercial aspects of Formula 1 participation.

Saward gave insights into the court case in his latest Green Notebook, explaining:

“Alpine’s new team boss Oliver Oakes is unlikely to have an easy task in the coming months, but it will be a useful experience. Whatever happens, he will live happily ever after, because it is said that his Hitech Grand Prix organisation will receive a tidy sum of money from the FIA ​​in the next few months. Hitech wanted to move up to F1 and submitted a bid at the same time as Andretti. Hitech was rejected by the FIA.

“Oakes and his backers felt this was unfair, as they believed they had a better project than Andretti. This led to tacit legal action, allegedly because the FIA ​​rejected the offer for financial reasons. Hitech, it is said, argued that the FIA ​​should not be involved in commercial decisions relating to Formula 1 and therefore could not do what it did. To prevent another omelette falling from the sky for FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his advisers, it was agreed to settle the matter in confidential arbitration, so that Oakes could fight for money and nobody would find out much about it.”

In the first phase of the arbitration, Hitech GP was successful in collecting its legal costs, suggesting that its case has some credibility. The focus now turns to the second phase, scheduled for September 16, where the financial damages owed to Hitech will be assessed. As Saward noted:

“Nobody wants to talk about this dispute but it is there and I understand that the first phase is now complete. It is said that Hitech has won a larger share of the legal costs, which suggests that the arbitrators considered its case better than the FIA’s. A second phase is now expected to determine damages, which is due to take place on September 16.

“Oakes is not saying a word and the FIA ​​is not even admitting that this case exists. I guess we all need to take a look at the FIA’s accounts to see what it cost, although these sometimes contain large sums that have not been declared. Given the ongoing mess with Andretti, it is fair to say that the FIA ​​President’s idea of ​​opening up the registration process may not have been a good idea as it has caused nothing but pain.”