A Formula One return to India has moved a step closer, with the government now working to resolve the tax and regulatory hurdles that have kept the sport away from the country for more than a decade. Officials are targeting a race at the Buddh International Circuit on the outskirts of New Delhi as early as 2028.
The push follows a meeting between Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and key stakeholders, including prospective track owners the Adani Group and representatives of the country’s motorsports federation. Mandaviya has said a dedicated task force will be set up to examine what it would take to revive the race, with a particular focus on the taxation disputes that led to its cancellation in the first place.
According to a source in the ministry, the panel will look closely at issues around taxation, regulation, infrastructure, and broader policy support, and it will include representation from India’s tax authorities. The government’s top policy think tank has also been asked to coordinate across ministries to help cut through the red tape that has historically slowed such projects.
Why a Formula One Return to India Stalled After 2013
The Indian Grand Prix first ran in 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit, drawing large crowds to a purpose-built track that was widely praised for its design. However, the race was dropped after only three seasons, in 2013, following a dispute over whether motorsport events should be classified as entertainment for tax purposes. The resulting financial strain made the event unsustainable for organisers at the time, and India has not featured on the Formula One calendar since.
Ownership of the circuit has changed hands in the years since, and the Adani Group is currently in the process of taking over the company that previously ran the venue. The conglomerate did not respond to a request for comment on its plans, though Karan Adani, managing director of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, has said he is personally involved in efforts to bring the sport back to the country.
What Formula One’s Leadership Has Said
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali has publicly acknowledged the sport’s interest in India, but he has been careful to temper expectations about the timeline. Speaking to F1 India broadcaster FanCode last month, he said the sport still needed to find the right promoters and the right timing before a return could happen, adding that this was unlikely in the very short term. His comments echo a broader pattern seen elsewhere on the Formula One calendar, where new or returning races typically require years of groundwork on commercial agreements, infrastructure upgrades, and local partnerships before a date can be confirmed.
Growing Appetite for Indian Motorsports
The renewed push also reflects a wider shift in India’s relationship with motorsport. Interest in racing has grown steadily in recent years, helped in part by the successful staging of MotoGP events in the country, which demonstrated that large-scale international racing could draw strong crowds and commercial backing domestically. That momentum appears to have strengthened the case for reviving Formula One, particularly among officials keen to position India as a serious market for global sporting events.
For now, a confirmed Formula One return to India remains contingent on the new task force resolving the same underlying tax and regulatory questions that ended the Indian Grand Prix in 2013. If those issues can be settled, and if the Adani Group’s takeover of the Buddh International Circuit proceeds smoothly, 2028 has emerged as the earliest realistic target for the race to return to the Indian motorsports calendar. Until then, both the government and Formula One’s leadership appear to agree that the groundwork, rather than the racing, is where the real work lies.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, July 18, 2026
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