The ABB FIA Formula E Series will not be returning to India in 2024, after all.
Formula E announced on Friday that the series’ scheduled race at Hyderabad, India, has been canceled. The series blamed the cancelation on a decision by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department under the control of the Government of Telangana not to fulfill the Host City Agreement signed on Oct. 30, 2023.
The loss of the race, originally scheduled for February 10 and the only FIA event in 2024 planned for India, means the Formula E championship will consist of 16 rounds. The race was part of a multi-year race deal.
Formula E Operations (FEO) has charged event organizers in Hyderabad with breach of contract.
Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Officer, Formula E, said: “We are extremely disappointed for the huge motorsport fanbase in India,” said Alberto Longo, Formula E co-founder and Chief Championship Officer. “We know that hosting an official motorsport world championship race is an important and prestigious occasion for Hyderabad and the whole country.
“The president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), Akbar Ebrahim, and his team have been incredibly supportive in bringing Formula E back to Hyderabad. They share our disappointment in the decision of the Government of Telangana which means that will not happen.”
Added Jeff Dodds, second-year CEO of Formula E, “It is deeply frustrating that we cannot build on the success of the inaugural race last year, which delivered almost $84 million in positive economic impact to the region. We are also disappointed for our major Indian partners, particularly Mahindra and Tata Communications.
“Racing in Hyderabad was important to showcase the benefits of adopting electric vehicles in a market where pollution from vehicle engines has a massive impact on public health and the environment.”
Jean-Eric Vergne won last year’s race at Hyderabad.
The 2024 season kicks off January 13 at Mexico City.
Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and MLive Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek in 2011. He won several Michigan Associated Press and national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for auto racing coverage and was named the 2000 Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club’s Michigan Motorsports Writer of the Year. A Michigan native, Mike spent three years after college working in southwest Florida before realizing that the land of Disney and endless summer was no match for the challenge of freezing rain, potholes and long, cold winters in the Motor City.