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The Government of India has formed a task force to explore reviving the Indian GP at the Buddh International Circuit. However, despite the renewed interest, a comeback remains far from guaranteed, with financial, regulatory, and logistical issues still to be resolved.

Malaysia, which hosted F1 from 1999 to 2017, serves as an example. Hosting a permanent Grand Prix at Sepang has been estimated to cost at least RM300 million annually, including hosting fees and local preparations. The hosting fee alone could reach US$70 million to US$80 million, equivalent to approximately ₹670 crore to ₹770 crore at an exchange rate of ₹95 per dollar. These figures reveal the enormous financial commitment required to bring F1 to a country.

While a Grand Prix can generate tourism, hospitality revenue and wider economic activity, these benefits do not automatically translate into profits for the race promoter. Malaysia's experience demonstrates why even an established circuit must thoroughly assess the costs of hosting a race.

India also has unfinished business from its previous stint on the calendar. The Indian GP was held between 2011 and 2013 before disappearing amid financial and taxation disputes. Although the Buddh International Circuit already exists, a return would require a committed promoter, a clear taxation framework, government support and a sustainable funding model.

India's large audience and growing motorsport following make it an attractive potential market for Formula 1. However, interest and discussions alone cannot secure a place on the calendar. Until the financial and oversight challenges are resolved, an Indian Grand Prix remains an exciting possibility more than an imminent reality.

Q1. Tell us about your motorsport journey. Where did it all begin, and what made you want to pursue racing?
A. “As a kid, I had always enjoyed driving, every time we would go for recreational go karting, I would always want to drive the fastest kart, even if I didn’t fit in it. Racing, I would say is something that was in my blood before I even knew it. It all started when I was 9 and we went for yet another recreational karting session, and there was a race happening there. Nothing too big, just twin 4-stroke engines that looked faster than anything I was allowed to drive on that day. And since then, I just wanted to do the same thing. Fast forward a few years, I am now 16 and Dad finally agreed to let me do it. Since then the journey has been anything but slow. I jumped through the ranks quickly finishing at the front at almost every event, national and international.”

Q2. Was there a particular point in your career that changed the way you approached racing?
A. “I think everyone gets a reality check at some point in any competitive field. It’s not always gonna be show up, win and leave. Luckily for me, this came very early in my career. In 2019, at 18, when I was taking part in the MRF F1600 Championship, everyone told me, after a below-average test weekend with the car, to keep my expectations low. But I wanted to win and realised early on that just driving wasn't going to cut it. Since then, I have read a lot of books about the car, asked questions no one would ask for fear of sounding stupid, and bridged a gap no one saw closing. My complete work ethic took a big switch.”

Q3. When you think about the person who first got into a race car and the driver sitting here today, what feels most different?
A. “A lot of things are different from how things felt. Most notably, it's the confidence I have when I drive the car. That feeling of getting in and knowing exactly how much grip I will have. And in the case of a car I have never driven, the confidence to know that by the end of the first session the time will be as quick as anybody else.”

4. If you had to describe your driving style using something completely unrelated to motorsport, what would it be?
A. “Like how Mark Knopfler plays the guitar.”

5. If you could drive any race car from any era, what would you choose?
A. “Specifically the Porsche 911 RSR GTE. One of the best build GTE cars and definitely one of the most iconic sounding cars in motorsport history.”

6. What is one aspect of racing that looks simple from the outside but is surprisingly difficult to master?
A. “I’ve heard many people say ;You just have to sit and move the steering wheel’ But that same Steering wheel needs such precise input that just steering the car wrong can put you way off the leaderboard.”

Q7. How do you approach a track you’ve never driven before?
A. “I tend to give it a go on the simulator and my only taking from the simulator is to build a basic muscle memory of the track. This way I don’t waste time figuring out which way the track goes. Then on the track, a permanent track with decent runoff gets the rough treatment, drive it faster than you think and fall back on what’s closer to within the limits. A street track needs a completely different approach where you build gradually as there is no room for error. Confidence is key.”

Q8. Has your definition of success changed since you first started racing?
A. “Not really. I always believed that if you had done better than you expected, you were successful. With the resources I had, I feel the stage we have managed to put in is in a successful position.”

Q9. You’ve spent time as both a driver and a coach. How has being on both sides changed the way you see the sport?
A. “As a driver, you are always super competitive. At times, you doubt the coach's ability and dismiss things as, ‘I am driving the car, so I know better.’ As a coach, I realised why a coach says what they say. I try to make sure that my reasons why and what are conveyed.”

Q10. What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were starting out?
A. “Lap time lost is lap time you will never get back, try again next lap but the harder you try to get it back now the faster you will lose even more lap time.”

Q11. When you work with young drivers, what is the one piece of advice you find yourself giving them often?
A. “Corners are where you gain/lose time is what everyone says, but that is not where the real time is. The real time is on the straights. I could enter the corner 5km/h faster and make the apex, but I will also be 5km/h slower on the straight because I throttled too late. Which has more distance? You do the math and tell me.”

Q12. As a coach, when you watch a driver on track, what do you look out for that the average spectator might miss?
A. “On go-karts, the first thing I focus on is the pedals. Unlike race car telemetry systems, we don’t have throttle and brake traces, so watching the foot closely is our only option.”

Q13. In a sport where everyone ultimately gets measured by the clock, do you think gender still changes the way a driver is perceived?
A. “Gender does tend to have that effect on people, but when they put their helmet on, you really don’t know who is who, and I have seen many people get pretty shocked when they find out the reality.”

Q14. What is your take on the current state of Indian motorsports?
A. “I would say it is in a fragile state. There is so much development happening and a lot of things being pushed to make them happen. With the right investment, there is a lot of potential, but since there are very few investors, one wrong investment and the sport loses a lot more than what is on the news.”

Q15. What would you like to see change in Indian motorsport over the next five years?
A. “I would say there are a lot of paths in the right direction, which mainly include having an actual ladder that is being slowly built as of 2026. I'd want this ladder to take full shape over the next five years and, more importantly, there is a lot of talent, including mine, going to waste because of a lack of funds to pursue a career outside India. Some of us who have gotten the chance have done really well when you compare the amount of experience and funding the others show up with. Just shows that it’s not really a lack of talent.”

A software bug delayed the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia by about 50 minutes after multiple cars lost power during the formation lap at Sepang.

The issue stemmed from the 2026 power units’ energy-management software, which controls how electrical power is deployed. Wet conditions, low engine speeds, and restrictions on electrical power deployment combined to expose a problem that testing had missed. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were among the first drivers to be affected.

The FIA eventually resolved the issue through an emergency software update, allowing the race to proceed. However, the incident raised questions about the reliability of increasingly complex systems in modern Formula 1.

With the 2026 regulations placing greater emphasis on electrical power, software has become increasingly important to car performance. While these advancements have made F1 cars more sophisticated and efficient, they also introduce new vulnerabilities. The incident highlights how difficult it is to test every possible scenario, especially when several unusual conditions occur at once.

Following the incident, the FIA committed to strengthening software testing and verification procedures. As Formula 1 continues to push technological boundaries, the focus must extend beyond performance to reliability. In modern F1, even the most advanced car can be stopped by something as simple as a software bug.