Arindam says F1 not possible before 2029, pushes to bring WRC to India

FMSCI president Arindam Ghosh told reporters in Chennai on Wednesday at the launch of the Chennai Turbo Riders-JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026 that Formula One "won’t happen before 2029" and that he is pressing to stage the World Rally Championship in India prior to that.

The championship logo was unveiled at the event by A. Srinath, Minister of Fisheries & Fisherman Welfare, Govt. of TN, with dignitaries including Arindam Ghosh and Akbar Ebrahim in attendance. "I would like to express my gratitude to CTR and JK Tyre for their support and commitment to promoting motorsport in the country, and creating a road safety awareness," said Srinath. Akbar Ebrahim, identified as Member, FIA World Motor Sport Council and President, FIA International Karting Commission, also addressed the gathering.

On the sidelines of the launch, Arindam set out his timeline and priorities, saying: "F1 won’t happen before 2029, but I am pushing for WRC before that. You don’t need huge infrastructure for that. What we need is road sanitisation and government administration support. The government is supportive of it," said Arindam.

Arindam added a comment on circuit options, saying: "I won’t be shocked if, instead of BIC, we are having a street circuit as we don’t have a maintenance issue right through the year," he added.

Akbar Ebrahim commented on international attention towards Indian motorsport, saying: "Indian motorsport is being keenly viewed and watched by the FIA as it is a very important country at the global level." His remarks were made in the context of the championship launch and the broader effort to expand events in India.

The National championship will feature seven categories: Indian Super Touring Cars, Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars, Super Stock, Levitas Cup, Formula LGB F4 and Formula 1300.

The four-round season opens with two rounds at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore (Sept. 11-13 and Oct. 23-25), the third round will be held at BREN Raceway in Bengaluru (Nov. 13-15) and the final round is scheduled for the Madras International Circuit (Dec. 11-13).