Formula E could return to India as soon as 2025: co-founder Alberto Longo

MEXICO CITY: Formula E could return to India in 2025 and discussions with other cities to host a race will begin soon, said co-founder Alberto Longo, making it clear that the electric series is keen to race in the country despite the Hyderabad E-Prix cancelation.

The Hyderabad race, which was scheduled to take place on February 10, was cancelled last week after just one season with Formula E alleging a breach of the host city agreement by the newly-elected Telangana government.

"We are working to coming to India in the future, we will be starting conversations with different cities in India soon," Longo told PTI ahead of the season-opening Mexico E-Prix.

"But we will be looking to race in India in the future, hopefully as soon as 2025," he added.

He also revealed that one Indian city has already expressed interest in hosting the electric race.

"Too fresh (the Hyderabad cancellation), but there has been some approach when they got to know the news of us not coming back to Hyderabad. There was one approach I can't tell you at this stage. But we will soon be back in India."

India hosted its inaugural electric race last February. Telangana's then IT minister KT Rama Rao had played a huge role in bringing the race to Hyderabad.

However, after KTR's BRS party lost the state election in December, the new Congress government did not show the same willingness to host the race.

"Hyderabad is not happening (this year) and it won't be a candidate for the following seasons either," Longo asserted.

"I really feel bad for the thousands of fans we have in India. India has a lot of heritage in motorsports, so it's very sad that we aren't going to be there this year."

The Hyderabad race was the first major racing event in the country since 2013.

To engage with the Indian audience, Formula E has partnered with Sony Pictures Networks India, which will be showing all races this season.

"We have signed a fantastic agreement with a media partner in India which will come live next week. But they are going to start showing the races even Mexico from Saturday and we are delighted because it will give us more reach than the previous years."

Formula E will kick off its 10th season with the race here on Saturday and Longo is proud to see what the all-electric street racing series has been able to achieve in a decade.

"I feel very proud. We started to talk about an idea in 2011-12 and a lot of people didn't believe that we could even do the first race, but now, we are here in our 10th season.

"We are now celebrating having 6-7-8 manufacturers in the championship, we have an amazing calendar, one of the most aggressive one we have ever had.

"If someone would have told me 10 years ago that this would be so well known, I would have thought he was crazy. Formula E is here to stay. Lot more to come, more reach, more races, more fans."

There is a lot of buzz about the highly-anticipated Gen 4 cars, which is set to debut in the 2026/27 season, and Longo is confident that these cars will bring Formula E up to speed with the conventional motorsports.

"The Gen 4 is going to be way faster than what we have today. The technology now is going to allow us to be as fast as any other form of motorsport. In Gen 3 we are on 320kmph, the sky is the limit, we can go faster," he added.