Formula 1 could be heading back to India after a gap that has stretched since 2013. On September 15, 2026, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced a 10-member task force to examine whether the Indian Grand Prix can return, with 2028 now emerging as the government’s target year.
The panel will be chaired by NITI Aayog Programme Director and Adviser Yugal Kishore Joshi. It brings together sports, commerce, tourism, revenue, state governments, racing circuits and the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India. DD India also highlighted the development in an official X post, saying the panel would review feasibility and taxation issues.
What The New F1 Task Force Will Examine
This is not only a study of whether one race weekend can be staged. The task force has been asked to look at the wider motorsport ecosystem and identify the policy, commercial and infrastructure work required for major international racing events.
Its members include representatives from the Department of Sports, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Tourism, CBIC, CBDT, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments, Buddh International Circuit, Madras International Circuit and FMSCI. A technical expert nominated by FMSCI can also contribute.
The main areas before the panel are:
- Reviewing taxation and regulatory barriers that have troubled international motorsport events in India.
- Mapping infrastructure, operational and technical requirements for a possible Formula 1 race in 2028.
- Studying tourism, investment and economic gains that major motorsport events could bring to host regions.
- Recommending a wider motorsports policy, including possible public-private partnership models for future events.
That makes the panel broader than a simple F1 comeback committee. Its recommendations could shape how India handles global racing series, promoters, circuits and government coordination in the coming years.
Why Formula 1 Left India After The 2013 Grand Prix
India hosted three Formula 1 races at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from 2011 to 2013. Sebastian Vettel won all three, and the official Formula 1 results confirm he also won the final Indian Grand Prix on October 27, 2013.
The original 2014 absence was partly connected to calendar scheduling, but tax and administrative problems became major obstacles to a return. Reuters reported at the time that Formula 1 was treated as entertainment rather than sport for taxation purposes, while importing racing equipment also involved heavy bureaucracy.
Those issues never produced a lasting solution, so the promised comeback disappeared from later calendars. The current task force is therefore revisiting many of the same problems that blocked the event more than a decade ago.
Why The 2028 Formula 1 India Push Looks Different
Several developments in 2026 have changed the backdrop. In July, the Sports Ministry provisionally recognised FMSCI as a National Sports Federation for motorsport. The ministry’s official 2026 federation list records that status, giving the national motorsport body a more formal place inside India’s sports structure.
Formula 1 itself has also shown interest. Reuters reported in July that F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali viewed India as a market worth returning to, while stressing that promoters, partnerships and timing still had to be worked out.
The target date has shifted too. Mandaviya spoke in April about trying for 2027, but Formula 1 told Hindustan Times that India would not be on the 2027 calendar. The latest government roadmap now points to 2028, giving officials more time to deal with tax rules, circuit readiness and commercial arrangements.
There is also a political debate around the circuit’s ownership backdrop. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh alleged the task-force move could favour the Adani Group after its takeover of assets linked to Buddh International Circuit. The government’s stated terms describe the panel as a broader motorsport feasibility and policy exercise.
What Has To Happen Before The Indian Grand Prix Returns
A task force does not guarantee a race. Formula 1 would still need an acceptable promoter, a commercial agreement, a calendar slot, FIA-standard circuit readiness, workable customs procedures and a tax structure that teams and organisers can operate under.
Buddh International Circuit remains the natural candidate because it already hosted F1 and the 2023 MotoGP round. That MotoGP event attracted more than 100,000 spectators, according to Reuters, showing that major international motorsport can still draw a large Indian crowd.
For now, 2028 should be treated as a target rather than a confirmed Indian Grand Prix date. The next decisive step, in the coming months, will be whether the task force produces changes that Formula 1, promoters and government agencies can turn into a signed hosting plan.
FAQs
When did India last host a Formula 1 race?
India last hosted Formula 1 at Buddh International Circuit in October 2013, won by Vettel.
Who heads the new Formula 1 task force?
NITI Aayog Programme Director and Adviser Yugal Kishore Joshi chairs the new government task force.
Is Formula 1 confirmed to return to India in 2028?
No, 2028 is a government target, with commercial, regulatory and calendar approvals still required first.
Where would a future Indian Grand Prix most likely be held?
Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida remains the venue being examined for Formula 1’s return.
Why did Formula 1 stop racing in India after 2013?
Taxation, bureaucracy and scheduling problems prevented Indian Grand Prix from establishing a permanent calendar place.
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