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‘No live conversations about Formula E in India’
Formula E co-founder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo said he is hopeful of bringing the race back to India
London: Despite a current lack of active negotiations, the top brass of Formula E remains optimistic about bringing the all-electric racing series back to India.
Reflecting on the inaugural Indian race – held in Hyderabad in 2023 – Formula E co-founder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo made it clear that the door is wide open for a comeback.
“We would love to go back to India,” Longo told HT. While acknowledging that there are “no live conversations at the moment,” he emphasised that India remains a crucial market for the sport. “Nothing will please me more than coming back to India. We have a massive amount of fans in India. They follow our races all year long.”
Deep Dive
The championship’s desire to return is driven not only by fan engagement but by the tangible economic benefits the sport brings to host cities. Longo detailed that a typical Formula E race injects between €80-€100 million into a local economy.
This financial windfall encompasses media coverage, event logistics, transportation, and direct local employment. During the preparation for the inaugural race in Hyderabad, Formula E hired between 2,000-2,500 local staff. Looking back at the logistical operations, Longo brushed off any notion of insurmountable challenges, calling the debut venture a “massive success in terms of attendance”.
“It was a complete new country for us... a complete new sport for them as well,” he explained, lauding the local talent in Hyderabad that helped make the operational machine “work like a Swiss watch”.
Beyond the balance sheets and grandstands, Longo feels a deep connection to India’s aggressive pivot toward electric vehicles. Observing the rapid development of the nation’s EV culture over the last 5-10 years, he expressed a sense of pride in Formula E’s role in sparking that interest.
“We touched buttons to the heart of the people to start looking into electromobility. To look from the outside... it makes me feel very proud and somehow makes me feel a little bit part of it,” said Longo.
So, what is keeping Formula E away from India? According to Longo, it all boils down to an official invitation. While the Indian government has of late been showing renewed interest in bringing Formula 1 back – which left Indian shores after three races from 2011-2013 – Longo hopes this overall enthusiasm for motorsport translates to Formula E.
The organisation is currently in simultaneous discussions with over 80 cities worldwide, but none from India. “There is nothing to change, just the will,” Longo said when asked what it would take to return. “Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone from India knocking at our door, and that is what needs to change – the willingness of Indian cities to host a Formula E event. Trust me, we are really ready to come back.”
Dodds echoes the sentiment
This enthusiasm is shared by Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds, who reinforced that India is an “incredible market rich in opportunity”, pointing to the championship’s Indian partners, including Mahindra, Infosys, and Tata (Jaguar TCS).
While Longo remains eager for a city to step forward, Dodds highlighted an incoming technical consideration – the transition to the faster Gen4 cars. Because Formula E traditionally races on street circuits, Dodds noted that the next generation of cars will make track selection much more complicated, requiring surfaces that allow the vehicles to truly “stretch their legs”.
Regardless of the venue logistics, Dodds remains highly confident that India doesn’t need to change its approach, so long as both parties can find the right venue opportunity. “I would be very, very optimistic over the coming seasons that you’ll see us return to India,” Dodds said. “We know if we do that, we make a lot of people very happy.”
