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Formula 1 and Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited have announced the launch of India's first Official F1 Sim Racing Championship. Held under an agreement that grants Mumbai Falcons the rights to host an official Formula 1-sanctioned sim racing competition, the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026 will establish a national competitive platform for emerging talent across the country.
The Championship is designed to create a structured pathway from virtual competition to professional motorsport, offering young drivers a credible first step into the wider racing ecosystem. This also marks the first time Formula 1 has introduced a programme of this nature, exclusively for India, according to a release. The announcement comes at the perfect time, as conversations around bringing Formula 1 back to India gain momentum and fan interest in the sport continues to surge. With e-sports now officially recognised under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, initiatives like the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026 connect India to the global driver pathway of F1, tapping into a rapidly growing motorsport ecosystem. Conducted under an agreement granting Mumbai Falcons the rights to host an official F1-sanctioned sim racing competition in India, the Championship will be played on F1 25, the official game of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, featuring identical circuits, competitive formats, and team liveries as the global series. Registrations are set to commence on 30th April, 2026, on the MFRL App (available on Play Store and Apple Store). Participants will be able to compete via PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox. Online qualifiers in the coming months will lead to city-based simulator rounds, culminating in a national final in Mumbai in November. On this occasion, India's first Formula 1 Driver, Narain Karthikeyan said, "India has long been central to global growth story of Formula 1. With 78.8 million fans and a generation raised on F1 gaming, the time is right to introduce an official, competitive Sim Racing Championship here. Mumbai Falcons are the ideal partner, having invested years in building India's motorsport pipeline. This initiative is unique, globally exclusive, and will set a new benchmark for talent development." "When we founded Mumbai Falcons in 2019, our ambition was to place India firmly on the global motorsport map and build a pipeline for world-class talent. Mumbai Falcons became the first Indian team to win an FIA-accredited international racing Championship. We have also supported the early careers of future Formula 1 stars. Partnering with Formula 1 to bring the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026 to life is yet another significant initiative in that direction." said Ameet Gadhoke, Managing Director, Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited. Mumbai Falcons brings to this programme a track record that few organisations in the world can match. The team has previously supported the early careers of drivers who went on to reach the pinnacle of the sport, including Jehan Daruvala, Kush Maini, Arthur Leclerc, Dino Beganovic, Sebastian Montoya, Rafael Camara, James Wharton, Freddie Slater, Kean Nakamura Berta, Oleksandr Bondarev, Kimi Antonelli, Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman. It is this foundation of proven talent identification and development that positions Mumbai Falcons to build and deliver India's first scalable motorsport pipeline. (ANI)
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