The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has established a dedicated task force to oversee motor sports in India, with the ambitious goal of bringing Formula 1 racing back to the country by the end of 2028. A source from the ministry confirmed this development, stating, "We will try to bring back F1 in India by 2028. For this, we created a task force which monitors motor sports in the country and submits its report to the Ministry."
Efforts to Revive International Racing Events
Earlier this week, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) President Arindam Ghosh met with Sports Ministry officials in New Delhi. During the meeting, Ghosh highlighted ongoing efforts to secure not only Formula 1 but also a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and MotoGP by 2028. Speaking at the FMSCI Annual Awards function, Ghosh elaborated, "The meeting with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State Raksha Khadse, senior officials and potential stakeholders in New Delhi, focused primarily on bringing F1, MotoGP and a round of the WRC to India."
Focus on Driver Development
Ghosh emphasized that the federation stressed the need to develop Indian drivers and foster overall growth of motorsports in the country. He noted that FMSCI's inputs were well received by the ministry, signaling strong governmental support for the initiative.
FMSCI Annual Awards Celebrate Champions
At the Awards Night held in Bengaluru, the FMSCI honored all Motorsports National champions for 2025. A total of 137 trophies across 17 disciplines, encompassing both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, were presented. Awards were also given to winning teams, promoters, and sponsors of the 17 National championships.
Young Achievers Recognized
The youngest national champion, 9-year-old Arshi Gupta from Delhi Public School, Faridabad, was among those celebrated. Eshanth Vengatesan of Chennai and Bengaluru's Ishaan Madesh received FIA president's medals for National karting. Special awards were also presented to recognize international achievements.
International Accolades
On the global stage, Hyderabad's Naveen Puligilla and Musa Sherif of Kasargod were honored for becoming the first Indian team to secure a WRC3 class podium finish at the World Rally Championship round at Rally Saudi Arabia. Aishwarya Pissay was recognized for becoming the first Indian woman to win a round of the FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship (2WRC) in Portugal last year.
Asian Level Honorees
At the Asia level, Chennai's Jagathishree Kumaresan was feted for her third place in the Girls category at the Asian Cup of Circuit Racing in Taiwan. Muskaan Jubal received recognition for her gold medal in the Asia Auto Gymkhana Challenge (AAGC) mixed doubles category.
Special Awards for Rising Stars
Achintya Mehrotra, who won a gold medal at the FIA Motorsport Games Gymkhana event, and Aaruthran Prabhu, who secured a Karting Slalom gold at the FIA Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship, were also felicitated with special awards. Tarushi Vikram was honored for her two silver medals, one each at the Asia Pacific Motorsport Games in Colombo and AAGC.
Volunteer Contributions Acknowledged
Ashwinkumar Pandit (sporting official), CV Srinath (technical official), and Gautam Shanthappa (marshal) were awarded for their volunteer work, underscoring the importance of grassroots support in motorsports development.
