It's been a long wait but now seems that at least one Indian city will make it to the Formula E world championship calendar in the future. A Letter Of Intent (LOI) has been signed between the Telangana State and Formula E, which promises to make this happen. While complete details have not been revealed yet, the announcement did say that the agreement will see Formula E work with the city and state officials to examine the viability of hosting a future E-Prix. At present, Formula E has an Indian team on the grid in the form of Mahindra Racing that's been a part of the championship since its inception.
Also Read: Formula E Gen3 Race Car Teased
The Hyderabad E-Prix is likely to take place in 2023 or beyond and will see cars from the Gen3 era
The announcement also saw Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group react to the same. In a tweet, he wrote, "We were one of the founding teams in Formula E and a long held dream of
@MahindraRacing has been to race our cars on home ground, cheered on by a home crowd. Thank you @KTRTRS for taking a huge step towards making that dream a reality! We can't wait…"
undefinedFastest growing motor sport series on the planet @FIAFormulaE comes to #HappeningHyderabad
— KTR (@KTRTRS) January 17, 2022
I strongly believe that this will usher in an electric growth in EVs, new decarbonised sustainable future & make #Telangana an ideal EV Hub#ChangeAccelerated pic.twitter.com/H0cvtjPXwf
undefinedWe were one of the founding teams in Formula E and a long held dream of @MahindraRacing has been to race our cars on home ground, cheered on by a home crowd. Thank you @KTRTRS for taking a huge step towards making that dream a reality! We can't wait… https://t.co/HF9OoVDVXO
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) January 17, 2022
Speaking about the development, Anish Shah, Managing Director & CEO of Mahindra and Mahindra, said, “Mahindra Racing welcomes Formula E to India. As a founding member, it will be our privilege to be a host country. This will provide a huge impetus to the electric mobility revolution that is on its cusp in India.”
Speaking about the announcement, Alberto Longo, Formula E Co-founder and Chief Championship Officer, said, "We welcome Hyderabad and the State of Telangana's interest in hosting a round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. With this Letter Of Intent, we can further explore the exciting potential of returning elite motorsport to India."
Formula E also announced that it has partnered with renewable energy company Greenko to deliver the Hyderabad E-Prix in the future. The Hyderabad-based group has been working towards delivering clean and affordable energy.
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Mahindra Racing is the only Indian team on the Formula E grid from inception and will have a host of Indian fans rooting during home race
Formula E has seen some of the world's most popular and historic cities host races on the street circuits. This includes New York City, Monaco, Berlin, Paris, Jakarta, Diriyah, Mexico City, London, Beijing, Beunos Aires among others. Through seven seasons, Formula E has completed 84 races on the streets so far. At present, over 20 cities are in the running to be a part of Formula E Season 9 that'll kick off in 2023. It'll also see the new Gen3 era with newer and faster electric race cars.
The announcement also comes nearly a decade after India landed on the Formula 1 calendar for three seasons between 2011-2013. The move certainly will have Indian motorsport fans excited. Moreover, the timing couldn't have been better given the push for electrification in the country at large. Meanwhile, Formula E Season 8 is all set to begin later this month on January 28 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The 16-race season will take place across several cities globally before concluding in August this year.
