India might be ready for a second date with Formula 1 and this time, the government wants to make sure the relationship doesn’t crash.
Remember when F1 cars were screaming around Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida? Yeah, that era could be making a comeback.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced a 10-member task force to explore bringing Formula 1 back to India, with 2028 being considered as a possible target.
And this isn’t just a “bhai, F1 wapas laayein kya?” WhatsApp discussion.
The task force will look into everything from taxes and regulations to infrastructure, investment, tourism and possible public-private partnerships. Basically, India wants to figure out how to bring F1 back without the bureaucratic speed bumps that helped push it out the first time.
India hosted its first Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in 2011.
The race returned in 2012 and 2013 but then the engines went silent.
Tax disputes, regulatory complications and other logistical issues eventually brought the Indian Grand Prix chapter to an end.
Now, more than a decade later, India is basically sliding into F1’s DMs again.
Because F1 isn’t just about 20 cars doing vroom vroom at ridiculous speeds.
A Grand Prix can mean international tourists, global visibility, investment, hospitality, jobs and a major boost for India's motorsport ecosystem.
The government is also looking at how India can build a wider motorsport economy rather than treating F1 as a one-weekend spectacle.
And with motorsport becoming increasingly popular among younger audiences, the timing could be pretty interesting.
Not so fast.
The government has not confirmed an Indian Grand Prix for 2028. The task force has been created to assess whether a comeback is feasible and work out what needs to change.
But after years of “F1 India? Nah bro”, the government is finally saying:
“Okay… what if we actually make it happen?”
India’s F1 comeback era may have just entered the group chat.