Formula E keen to return but wants India to make first move

Formula E is keen to return to India, but is waiting for the country to make the first move. PTI has reported that the championship co-founder Alberto Longo said that Formula E is keen to return to India, but is waiting for an Indian city to make the first move. This comment comes three years after the all-electric racing series made a promising debut in India at Hyderabad but was dropped from the calendar amid contractual and political issues.

Formula E all-electric world championship made its India debut in February 2023 with the Hyderabad E-Prix, but the race was dropped the following year after a change in government in Telangana. The promoter of the event also withdrew as the multi-year arrangement got complicated.

Speaking about the possibilities, Longo reportedly said that Formula E remains eager to return to India, which is one of the world's most important markets for electric mobility. "We would love to go back to India. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that we don't have any live conversation at the moment, but it's such an important market for Formula E that we would absolutely love to be back there," PTI quoted him as saying during the London season finale. He also stated that Formula E is ready to engage but wants an invitation from an Indian city or authorities. "There needs to be a will to host a Formula E event. Trust me, we are really ready to come back to India. We are discussing with more than 80 cities worldwide today simultaneously. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone from India knocking at our door, and that is what needs to change: the willingness of the Indian cities to host a Formula E event," he added.

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds also reportedly echoed the same sentiment and hopes the country could return to the calendar in the coming seasons. "We have a number of very, very high-profile Indian partners. Obviously Mahindra up there, Infosys is a big partner of ours, Tata obviously owns the Jaguar racing team, Tata and TCS Jaguar. So we have a number of very important Indian partners," Dodds said, while adding, “And the growth coming out of India and the EV potential in India is absolutely enormous. So India remains a priority market for us. Our ambition is to return to race in India. We have to find the right opportunity between the street circuit."

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