Sports Minister Mandaviya forms 10-member Task Force to study Formula 1 revival in India
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced a Task Force to study the challenges and feasibility of reviving Formula 1 in India during a media interaction in New Delhi on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, naming Niti Aayog Programme Director and adviser Yugal Kishore Joshi as chair. The committee will comprise 10 members tasked with producing a coordinated roadmap for the sport's return.
The panel includes joint secretary (sports) Kunal and the Motorsports Federation of India (FMSCI) president Arindam Ghosh, who currently holds the post with elections due at the AGM later in the month. The Task Force will also feature representatives from the Department of Tourism and Commerce and will include officials from the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The new circuit owners, the Adani group, will have a seat at the table, while Mr. Mandaviya said that, barring Mr. Joshi and Mr. Kunal, no other names were revealed by the Minister.
"The Terms of reference of this committee are suggesting comprehensive ways for sustainable growth of motorsports in India, a holistic coordinated roadmap for revival of Formula 1 so that we can host a race in 2028," Mr. Mandaviya said, setting the committee's stated objective and timeframe.
Mr. Mandaviya said the Task Force will include officials from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to examine fiscal matters. "Taxation issues will be considered along with the possibilities related to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models," he added.
India last hosted a Formula 1 race in 2013 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida before the event was dropped, the Minister noted, citing bureaucratic and taxation issues as reasons for its removal from the calendar. The current push for revival places the previous venue and its ownership among the matters for consideration by the panel.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has acknowledged strong interest in India but has not provided a timeline for a return, according to Mr. Mandaviya, while a Formula 1 statement in December last year put the sport's fanbase in India at 98 million. Organising a Grand Prix involves substantial costs, with local promoters paying between $20-60 million annually as a hosting fee to Formula 1 and additional logistics, infrastructure and safety expenses to be met.
"It will also carry out a detailed assessment of challenges that would come in the way of reviving motorsports and identify policy interventions that would needed for this," Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, tasking the committee with mapping obstacles and policy measures as its next step in pursuing the possibility of hosting a race in 2028.