Formula 1 has responded decisively to India. The Indian sports minister, to everyone’s surprise, asserted that there would be an Indian Grand Prix of Formula 1 next season. Liberty Media, however, has flatly denied that claim: F1 will not race in India again, at least for now.
Liberty Media’s experience, and Formula 1’s in general with Indians, couldn’t be worse. The clear mantra is that “the Indians don’t pay”. It was the reason the Indian Grand Prix vanished from Formula 1, the reason Force India ended up bankrupt, and, more recently, the worst MotoGP experience.
India had already left MotoGP’s Grand Prix unpaid
“There will be a Formula 1 race in India in 2027. This will happen 100%. The first race will be held at the Buddh International Circuit.” Those were the words of Mansukh Mandaviya, India’s sports minister, which left everyone off guard, including Formula 1. No one had had conversations about it.
One statement to which Formula 1 itself has had no choice but to respond with a firm release: “While India is a valuable market for Formula 1’s ongoing growth, with an incredible and passionate fan base, we will not race there in 2027.” In fact, Liberty Media has no intention of returning.
One of the first things Liberty Media encountered after taking the helm of MotoGP is a strange hole in the accounts. Specifically, the one left by the Indian Grand Prix, which was held in 2023 and never paid. The Indians’ promises led MotoGP to insert and remove India from the calendar up to 2026, until they saw that they would never pay.
It is not the only example from which Formula 1 can learn that Indians do not pay. In fact, the grand circus already visited India between 2011 and 2013, at the New Delhi circuit, and the event was canceled due to non-payment. Very similar to what happened with the Force India team, which ended with its founder, Vijay Mallya, a fugitive from justice.
India planned to take advantage of the Gulf situation to present itself as an affordable alternative for hosting races. Given the global situation arising from the war with Iran, India is emerging as a safe and viable place for sporting events, including Formula 1. We plan to host a MotoGP event before Formula 1’s return, said the minister.
The reality is that neither Formula 1 nor MotoGP have any interest in India for a simple reason: experience has taught them that the Indians do not pay.
Images | MotoGP
