India may once again see Formula One cars on track, as discussions are underway to bring the championship back to the Buddh International Circuit after more than a decade since the last race was held there in 2013.
Formula One Could Return to India After a Decade-Long Absence at Buddh Circuit
The central government has informally nudged the current custodians of the circuit to lease the facility to a professional sports management firm for a fixed period, with the aim of enabling the return of the Indian round of the F1 calendar.
As part of this push, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently met officials from the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and asked them to actively explore ways to revive the Grand Prix in India.
The move to restart Formula One races is linked to India’s broader strategy of attracting major international sporting events ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and to bolster the country’s long-term ambition of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
The YEIDA currently owns and oversees the Formula One track, which was built at a cost of around ₹2,000 crore, after the original developer, Jaypee Group, declared bankruptcy in June 2024.
Government Pushes Short-Term Management Handover to Revive Formula One in India
A ministry insider said the sports minister personally inspected the circuit and held talks with stakeholders about timelines, adding: “The minister went to see the F1 track recently and held discussions with the promoters about when the latest race can be held. He told the track owners to hand over the facility to a sports management company for 2–3 years, which will work on the sport’s comeback to India. There had been tax issues in the past which stopped hosting F1 races, but they will be resolved soon.”
India previously hosted the Formula One Indian Grand Prix for three consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2013, but the event was eventually dropped due to unresolved tax disputes and the lack of official recognition of Formula One as a sport.
During that period, the Uttar Pradesh government treated the race as an “entertainment” activity rather than a sporting event, which led to heavy taxation, high import duties on race cars, and mounting costs that made participation financially unsustainable for teams.
More recently, the circuit briefly returned to the global motorsport spotlight in 2023 by hosting the first-ever MotoGP Bharat from September 22 to 24, although that event too was not continued in subsequent seasons.
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