F1 in India: Evaluating the likelihood of an Indian GP in the post-Liberty era

2023 has been a great year for India in terms of motorsports. With the likes of Formula E and MotoGP making stops at the Hyderabad Street Circuit and Buddh International Circuit, respectively, it only remains for Formula One to return to a country with an ever-increasing number of F1 fans. 

The Indian Grand Prix had a place on the calendar from 2011-13, with German driver Sebastian Vettel winning all three races. However, after taking a hiatus in 2014 and a failed plan to return in 2015, the Indian Grand Prix was decisively scrapped from the calendar before the end of its five-year contract.

A slew of tax exemption disputes and insufficient resources to continue funding a race in India prompted F1 to drop the axe on a race in India. But in recent years, the chatter of F1’s return to India has slowly bubbled up. 

Apart from the growing interest in racing amongst Indians, the country has also made massive efforts to increase its provisions for resources, brain power, and funding when it comes to motorsports. The success of the Hyderabad ePrix is a clear indication of this improvement. With all these steps forward, it seems more and more likely that F1 returns to India soon. 

Despite a higher possibility of racing in India, F1 still hasn’t made any serious efforts to bring the Grand Prix back. Its 2023 and 2024 calendars are already stacked, with 2024 having the most races in a year so far, closing in at 24. F1 would preferably want to continue with the traditional circuits like Silverstone or Monaco, along with new additions like Las Vegas, which joins Miami and Austin to become the third American race. However, with future objectives for global reach, it could be possible that F1 decides to swap one American race for another circuit across the world. Iconic circuits like Kyalami, Hockenheimring, Paul Ricard, and Nürburgring would all be vying for a spot on the calendar in such a case, and this is where the opportunity for an Indian Grand Prix comes in. 

India already has the edge as the FIA president, Mohamed Ben Sulayem, recently told Autocar India,

The obvious choice for a track would be the Buddh International Circuit, known for its high-speed layout and interesting elevation changes. Enjoyed by many drivers and praised for its challenging nature, it would certainly be fun to have it back on the calendar. 

Designed by Hermann Tilke, who is known for designing other tracks like Yas Marina, Jeddah, and Sepang, the Buddh International Circuit hosted its first F1 Grand Prix in 2011. It later became famous for being the track at which Vettel secured his fourth consecutive World Championship, and the iconic post-race celebration of Vettel worshipping his RB9 became etched into Formula 1 history. 

Alternatively, the Hyderabad Street Circuit could also be a contender for the host of an Indian Grand Prix. Slated to host a race in the 2022 Formula 4 Indian Championship but then being cancelled and going on to host India’s first-ever Formula E race, this track could fit in perfectly with F1’s growing number of street circuits. 

India has the logistics and facilities to host an international Grand Prix. However, it remains to be seen if the country can come to a satisfactory deal with the FIA and F1 if the sport takes it up as a potential venue for future championships. 

With an overwhelming surge in fan interest, hosting an F1 Grand Prix could immensely profit everyone. David Coulthard’s recent visit to Mumbai with Red Bull Racing was a huge hit with Indian fans and only fueled their desire to have a race at home. Fan engagement has been at an all time high, as evidenced through the 2019 Nielsen survey which found that India was among the top five countries with the largest F1 fanbases. Moreover, Netflix’s ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ has helped rake in a sizable portion of new fans across the world which adds to F1’s popularity in India. New fans are also experiencing F1 through social media, particularly Instagram and YouTube. Such platforms make F1 content accessible to wider audiences, especially since the sport still doesn’t have an official broadcaster in the country and the only other way to access it is the paid service, F1TV. Nevertheless, there has been an exponential rise in F1 fan engagement across the country in the past few years, which is surely a sign of things to come.

India’s chance at hosting an F1 race seems more likely than it did a few years ago, and hopefully with the FIA and F1’s new agenda of including more global venues, India could have a second shot at holding a permanent spot on the F1 calendar.