India has been keen to secure a return to the Formula 1 calendar, and now the sport’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Stefano Domenicali, has said there is “big interest” in making it happen.
F1 raced in India three times between 2011 and 2013 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, with all three editions won by Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel – including his 2013 title-clinching victory.
The race was dropped from the 2014 calendar after the Uttar Pradesh government classified F1 as entertainment rather than sport, triggering a tax liability that made the event financially unviable.
The prospect of a return has gained significant momentum in 2026. As Sector reported in April, India’s Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya publicly declared a 2027 comeback, citing government commitment to resolving the tax issues that ended the race originally.
F1 subsequently ruled out a 2027 return while acknowledging India’s commercial appeal, with Karun Chandhok – the former F1 driver who raced in the sport’s Indian editions – suggesting 2029 to 2030 as a more realistic window.
Speaking to Indian broadcast rights holder FanCode, Domenicali moved the conversation forward, stopping short of a timeline but going further than F1’s previous public position on intent.
“There is a big interest from us to return in your country,” he said.
“The right things that we need to do is to find the right promoters, the right collaboration, and the right timing, which will not be (in the) very short term – when we talk about five years, it seems to be very far away, but it’s not.
“There’s not yet a fixed date on which we can really say something but we see the interest that is growing at all levels.”
There’s not yet a fixed date on which we can really say something but we see the interest that is growing at all levels.
Stefano Domenicali
Domenicali was equally clear that any return needs to reflect the scale of the market rather than simply filling a calendar slot.
“The country has to be big, has to be the right one, has to be with the right level of investment, has to be with the right level of people, because the (India) market is just phenomenal, fantastic,” he said.
“I just want to guarantee that we’re going to be there for sure one day and with the right condition.”
The commercial logic behind that commitment is hard to argue with.
F1 cited a fanbase of 79 million when it announced its Indian broadcast partnership with FanCode, now in its third year, and Domenicali is keen to target that vast demographic.
“It is an incredible market…it’s huge, but it’s young and our fans are getting younger, more diverse, and there is an incredible enthusiasm that has a lot of community related to who we are today,” he said.
“Technology, lifestyle, passionate, a place where everyone can meet to have fun, but also to develop business.”
F1 reached a new audience through its Drive to Survive series on Netflix and also with Hollywood blockbuster F1: The Movie.
Beyond bringing a race back to India, Domenicali had similar thoughts for the market: “Being in things like a Bollywood project, that could be very fascinating to attract a new audience, to get into a bigger reach,” he added.
