Which venues should be added back to the racing calendar?

By Akhil Pratap Singh

Motorsport In India- A Revival Needed like Never Before.

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India is the home of many sports, be it traditional or international. The popularity of these sports hasn’t held its ground except for some like cricket, Football, Hockey, etc. Among other sports comes a very popular sport across the globe, which is motorsport. In India, motorsport gained popularity a few decades ago, but the high cost of managing this sport led to its decline in this cricket-loving nation.

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The key to the success of any sport in a nation depends on its sporting infrastructure. In India, barring a few sports, the sporting infrastructure has cut a sorry figure. Governments to date have also not shown a significant interest in this sport. Such sports demand coordination at different levels, be it universities, different capitalists who can sponsor the game, and most importantly, education of the sport at a very junior level, so that the younger can pursue their careers in motorsport at a very early age.

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For the revival of motorsport in India the most important aspect is its media coverage. There has to be abundance amount of discussion and shows on upcoming racing events like Formula 1, Moto Gp and its related events so that a good amount of buzz is created in public.

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In the recent decade or so, the revival of motorsport has happened to some extent in India. The emergence of Narain Karthikeyan and his F1 debut tried to break the stereotypes that existed in India of the sport. The Force India team in which was created in 2007, caught the eyeballs of many in India. Though it’s not functioning now. Budh International Circuit (BIC) was developed in Greater Noida in India in 2011, and it hosted F1 races from 2011 to 2013.

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Seeing such developments and the growing interest in motorsport in India, experts believe that F1 has the potential to generate around USD 170 million in revenue while employing as many as 10,000 people. In the present time, interest in motorsports in India has surged among audiences, participants, and stakeholders.

Recently, with an effort to enhance motorsport in India on a large scale, the Indian Racing League (IRL) will be started in August 2025. It will be held across various cities with a mix of some permanent and some street circuits. The Indian Racing Festival was also held in Mumbai, and it held the exercise of driver draft also which consisted of 24 drivers who were finalised across six franchises.

Each franchise selected 4 names, consisting of both national and international representation. Among the high-profile selections are Neel Jani, a former Formula 1 test driver and Le Mans winner; Jon Lancaster, Raoul Hyman, and promising Indian racers such as Ruhaan Alva, Sai Sanjay, Sohil Shah, and Akshay Bohra.

With efforts like IRL, motorsport in India surely has a bright future, though the fact can’t be ignored that the inaugural season will certainly need popularity and desired numbers in viewership and audience to flourish in the future.