Hyderabad looks all set to host India’s first-ever Formula E race. Speaking during a media session, Mahindra Racing CEO and team principal Dilbagh Gill said he was “cautiously optimistic” that the venue would be part of the Formula E Season 9 calendar next year, likely to be held in the second week of February 2023. With Formula E races usually taking place on Saturdays, the E-Prix will likely be held on February 11.
- Hyderabad E-Prix likely to be held in early-February 2023
- Evening race under consideration
- 2.7km street track
Hyderabad E-Prix looking at early-February 2023 slot
Earlier this year, the Telangana government, Formula E and clean energy company Greenko signed a Letter of Intent, making Hyderabad an official candidate to host a Formula E race next season. While this didn’t guarantee the city a secured spot on the calendar, at the time, Formula E’s chief championship officer Alberto Longo expressed confidence that the race would receive the go-ahead.
Now, speaking ahead of the recent Jakarta E-Prix, Gill suggested that plans for the Hyderabad E-Prix are very much on track. Organisers are looking to host the race in the second week of February, and an official decision on this is expected to come later this month.
Hyderabad street track details
If given the go-ahead, the Hyderabad E-Prix will be the first major international racing event to be held in India since the last F1 Indian GP in 2013. In line with Formula E’s focus on racing in city centres, this will also be a street track, winding its way through Lumbini Park, alongside the Hussain Sagar Lake.
Gill believes it’s the ideal location to host an event on the scale of a Formula E race. “The good thing about Hyderabad [E-Prix] is while it’s a city race, we are not disrupting public life because there’s no civilian residence in the track area,” he explained. There’s also support from the Telangana government as they’re looking to make the state an EV manufacturing hub.
The 2.37km track has been designed by Driven International, who have also worked on the recent updates to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The firm is also working on other projects in India, notably the Nanoli Speedway near Pune and Marque One Motor Club in Andhra Pradesh. The latter is set to measure in at 5.5km, making it India’s longest racetrack.
The Hyderabad street track is also set to host two rounds of the inaugural Formula Regional Indian Championship in November and December this year. The layout has been created to promote close slipstreaming and overtaking. “I’m really confident that when you put up a show in Hyderabad, it’s going to be a world class show. I think it’s going to be one of the fastest tracks and it’s beautiful,” said Gill.
He also added that organisers are looking to host the Hyderabad E-Prix in the evening under lights.
Formula E Gen3 attracting more manufacturers
There aren’t just new venues on the cards for Formula E next season. 2023 will usher in the new Gen3 regulations, featuring the championship’s fastest, most powerful and sustainable race car yet.
The new cars have also been specifically designed to promote technology transfer to road cars. The new battery, for example, is far smaller and lighter than any road-going equivalent. On the back of the recent departures of BMW, Audi and Mercedes, this is a move meant to reiterate the championship’s relevance to major carmakers. And it’s a tactic that appears to have worked, with the likes of Maserati and McLaren entering the championship for Gen3.
They’ll be joined by existing manufacturers Mahindra Racing, Jaguar, DS Automobiles, Nissan, Porsche and NIO 333.
For now, Season 8 is currently underway, with the next race being the Marrakesh E-Prix on July 2. Audiences in India can catch the race live on Start Sports Select 2 and Hotstar.
Dipan Sur
