India eyes return of Formula 1 by 2030: FMSCI President
Bengaluru, June 19
Efforts are on to bring Formula 1 back to India by 2030, a round of the World Rally Championship and MotoGP by 2028, FMSCI President Arindam Ghosh said, after a meeting on Thursday with the Sports Ministry in Delhi, according to a press release.
Later, at the FMSCI Annual Awards function, Ghosh said, "The meeting with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State Raksha Khadse, senior officials and potential stakeholders in New Delhi, focused primarily on bringing F1, MotoGP and a round of the WRC to India."
"The Federation stressed the need to develop Indian drivers and the overall development of motorsports in India, and the FMSCI's inputs were well received," he added.
At the Awards Night in Bengaluru, all the Motorsports National champions for 2025 were honoured, and 137 trophies across 17 disciplines, both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, were presented. Awards were also given to the winning teams, promoters and sponsors of the 17 National championships.
The youngest National champion at 9 years, Arshi Gupta of Delhi Public School, Faridabad, Eshanth Vengatesan of Chennai and Bengaluru's Ishaan Madesh bagged FIA president's medals for National karting. FMSCI also presented Special awards to recognise international achievements.
At the world stage, Hyderabad's Naveen Puligilla and Musa Sherif of Kasargod, who became the first Indian team to secure a WRC3 class podium finish at the World Rally Championship round at Rally Saudi Arabia and Aishwarya Pissay, who became the first Indian woman to win a round of the FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship (2WRC) in Portugal last year, were honoured.
At the Asia level, Chennai's Jagathishree Kumaresan was honoured for her third place in the Girls category at the Asian Cup of Circuit Racing in Taiwan and Muskaan Jubal for her gold in the Asia Auto Gymkhana Challenge (AAGC) mixed doubles category.
Achintya Mehrotra, who won a gold medal at the FIA Motorsport Games Gymkhana event and Aaruthran Prabhu, who won a Karting Slalom gold at the FIA Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship, were also felicitated with special awards. Tarushi Vikram was feted for her two Silver medals, one each in the Asia Pacific Motorsport Games at Colombo and AAGC.
Ashwinkumar Pandit (sporting official), CV Srinath (technical official) and Gautam Shanthappa (marshal) were awarded for their work as volunteers.
— ANI
Reader Comments
F1 by 2030 sounds exciting! But more importantly, I'm thrilled to see our Indian champions like Naveen, Aishwarya, and young Arshi Gupta being recognized. These kids are the real pride of Indian motorsports. 🏆
Focus on developing drivers and grassroots motorsports is the right move, but we need more local tracks and cheaper entry costs for young talent. Also, bring MotoGP first – India loves bikes! 🏍️
Kudos to the champions! Aishwarya Pissay is an inspiration for millions of young girls across India. But FMSCI should also focus on bringing down costs for amateur racers – motorsport is still seen as too expensive for most families.
F1 return is big, but I hope they don't ignore the two-wheeler racing culture we have in India. So many talented riders from rural areas never get a platform – let's use this momentum to create regional championships and scouting programs.
Lovely to see our juniors like Arshi Gupta and the team from Chennai and Bengaluru doing well! Hope the government supports motorsports as a serious career option, not just an expensive hobby. 🚀
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