India forms 10-member task force to study return of Formula One

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced in New Delhi on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that the Sports Ministry has constituted a 10-member task force to examine reviving Formula One and developing motorsports in India. The group will be led by NITI Aayog Programme Director Yugal Kishore Joshi and set up to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing motorsports ecosystem.

The ministry described the move as a further step in efforts to bring back Formula One to India and to strengthen domestic motorsport infrastructure and operations. The Task Force will include joint secretary Kunal, joint secretaries from the ministries of commerce and tourism, representatives from the Buddh and Madras International Circuits, state government representatives from UP and Maharashtra, an FMSCI representative and a technical expert.

“While the main objective of the Task Force will be to make a comprehensive assessment of the existing motorsports ecosystem in the country, its main challenge would be to find ways to resolve the taxation-related issues that led to Formula One’s past departures from the country,” sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Tuesday.

The Task Force’s terms of reference require it to identify policy interventions aimed at the sustainable growth of motorsports in India, specifying infrastructure and operational needs. It must also assess the economic, tourism and investment benefits accruing from hosting major events.

A further component of the mandate is to explore the feasibility of hosting an F1 Grand Prix in 2028, making that calendar year the explicit horizon for evaluating a potential return to the Formula One calendar.