Formula 1
Sports Ministry eyes F1 return in 2027
Plans to revamp sports talent identification programme TOPS with a 10x expansion of the athlete pool.
Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya. (File photo)
The news of revival of Formula One in India had brought cheers across the motorsport community. On Monday, the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed that the Indian government is in talks with the various stakeholders about the same.
Mandaviya hinted that India’s return to the grid could be as early as next year.
“Three companies have expressed interest in operating the Buddha International Circuit in Noida and organising the race. There are things to be worked out including infrastructure and taxation issues. We have the tracks across India and hope to work out the details in the next 3-6 months,” the Minister said.
The current Formula One calendar already features 19 confirmed races and 23 more on the waitlist, along with at least three likely additions. A return to the grid in 2027 looks highly unlikely given the logistics, scheduling and formalities involved.
Revamp of TOPS underway
The Sports Ministry is also planning to revamp the country’s sports talent identification system, aiming to make it more streamlined.
He added that the current Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) pool includes 399 athletes of which 51 in the core group, 166 in development, along with 62 para-athletes, 57 for the Asian Games, and 63 in hockey. He said the base is set to expand nearly tenfold to 3,000 by 2032.
“We need to focus on medal-heavy disciplines such as aquatics (165 medals), cycling (66 medals), and gymnastics (57 medals) in the Olympics. We have only one swimmer in TOPS. We need to strengthen the pool, integrate identified talent from Khelo India Tribal Games and ASMITA into the TOPS development group with a clear pathway for their eventual inclusion in the core group,” he said.
It was also learnt that the ministry is also re-evaluating the national sport awards. Ministry sources said the recommendations of the awards committee were being re-evaluated to ensure only the deserving ones were nominated.
“We cannot have 40-50 medals handed out randomly every year, the reward has to be commensurate with achievements,” sources said.