Formula E Keen To Return But India Need To Have The Will To Host: Longo

London: Formula E is keen to return to India but is waiting for an Indian city to make the first move, championship co-founder Alberto Longo said, three years after the all-electric series made a promising Hyderabad debut but was dropped from the calendar amid contractual and political issues.

The all-electric world championship made its India debut with the Hyderabad E-Prix in February 2023, but the race was dropped the following year after a change of government in Telangana, with the new administration deciding not to fulfil the Host City Agreement signed by the previous dispensation.

Promoter Greenko also withdrew as the multi-year arrangement got complicated.

Longo said Formula E remains eager to return to what he considers one of the world's most important markets for electric mobility.

"We would love to go back to India. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that we don't have any live conversation at the moment, but it's such an important market for Formula E that we would absolutely love to be back there," Longo told PTI in an interview during the London season finale.

Asked what needed to happen for India to return to the calendar, Longo said Formula E was ready to engage but wanted an invitation from an Indian city or authorities.

"There needs to be a will to host a Formula E event. Trust me, we are really ready to come back to India.We are discussing with more than 80 cities worldwide today simultaneously. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone from India knocking at our door, and that is what needs to change, the willingness of the Indian cities to host a Formula E event."

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds echoed the same sentiment and hopes the country could return to the calendar in the coming seasons.

"We have a number of very, very high profile Indian partners. Obviously Mahindra up there, Infosys is a big partner of ours, Tata obviously own the Jaguar racing team, Tata and TCS Jaguar. So we have a number of very important Indian partners," Dodds said.

"And the growth coming out of India and the EV potential in India is absolutely enormous. So India remains a priority market for us. Our ambition is to return to race in India. We have to find the right opportunity between the street circuit," he said.

"Now traditionally we've raced on street circuits. The Gen 4 car makes that much more complicated because we need surfaces and circuits that allow the car to stretch its legs."

Dodds added: "I would be very, very optimistic over the coming seasons that you'll see us return to India. Not exactly sure where."

Longo said the economic impact of a Formula E race was another reason Indian cities could consider bringing the championship back.

Studies conducted across its host cities typically show an economic impact of around 80-100 million euros, while the Hyderabad event employed around 2,000-2,500 people locally during the month-long preparation, he said.

He described the inaugural Hyderabad race as a "massive success" in terms of attendance and said India's rapidly expanding EV ecosystem made the country particularly attractive.

"You can see that not only the passion, they are really building an EV culture in India since five to ten years ago. That is impressive. Formula E was there three years ago... I think we touched buttons, to the people or the heart of the people, to start looking into electromobility. Again, super proud of feeling part of it."

"Nothing will please me more than coming back to India."

The possibility of a different Indian venue is also open, with Longo saying it was too early to determine whether Hyderabad would host the race again.

"I cannot tell you exactly which race will happen in the future in India. All I can tell you is that we are really hoping to be back there," he said.

The Hyderabad E-Prix was cancelled in January 2024 after the Telangana government's Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department decided not to fulfil the Host City Agreement.

The government subsequently raised questions over the approvals and financial procedures followed in entering into the agreement.