“Great moment”: RPPL chairman Akhilesh Reddy welcomes racing's return to BIC, hopes for F1 comeback

By Vipul Kashyap
Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 31 (ANI): Racing Promotions Pvt. Ltd. (RPPL) Chairman and Managing Director Akhilesh Reddy, on Saturday, described the return of racing to the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida after 13 years as a "great moment", expressing optimism about Formula One's (F1) return to India. 
Notably, the Indian Racing Festival (IRF) brought FIA-level racing back to the iconic venue, with Round 4 of the F4 Indian Championship and Round 2 of the Indian Racing League (IRL) being held on October 31 and November 1.
Spanning 5.125 kilometres, BIC, which previously hosted the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix and the MotoGP Bharat, holds a significant place in Indian motorsport history.
Speaking to ANI, Akhilesh Reddy said RPPL, which conceptualised the Indian Racing Festival, expressed happiness over the return of racing to the Buddh International Circuit after 13 years, describing it as a significant moment. He also expressed optimism about Formula One's return to India, saying the government, Adani and Formula One authorities are actively working towards it. He added that F1's return would revive public interest in motorsports and help expand RPPL's fan base.
“We are more than happy and I would say that we are overwhelmed that everything is going well and especially to get back to BIC, it is like quite a great moment for us and a happy moment for everybody,” he said.
“I think the government and Adani, as the management they are working actively, and they are working in an aggressive manner to get Formula One back. And I think even Formula One and the FIA are more than interested in getting Formula One back to India because it's gonna be a great thing for them also, and along with that it's gonna be a great event for India as well. But if you ask me personally, then I would say that we are all waiting; the RPPL especially is waiting for Formula One to get back so that the moment Formula One gets back, the amount of Formula 1 fans will increase, people would start watching the Motorsports again, and indirectly it will increase the fan base for the RPPL as well,” he added.
He said motorsports needs greater government support, adding that stakeholders would be happy if the sport received at least 50 per cent of the support cricket enjoys in India.
“We would need more support from the government side, and the only thing would be, like, if that would be more than, I mean, like every kid, every organiser, including myself and the parents, everybody will be more than happy if Motorsports get at least 50% of the support that cricket gets in the country,” he said.
Earlier, in September, the government constituted a task force under NITI Aayog to examine the revival and development of Formula One and the broader motorsports ecosystem in the country, with a focus on identifying challenges and formulating a coordinated roadmap for the sector.
Notably, the Indian Grand Prix was previously held at the Buddh International Circuit from 2011 to 2013, with Germany's Sebastian Vettel winning all three editions for Red Bull Racing.
South African racing driver Raoul Hyman described racing at the BIC as a great experience, saying he had always wanted to compete at the venue. He also expressed hope for the return of MotoGP and Formula One to India, adding that the circuit's track and facilities were ready to host the events.
“Great feeling. It's a great circuit, you know, I'm glad that I had the opportunity to drive it finally. I've always wanted to race here. I'd love to see MotoGP back; I'd love to see Formula One back. I think the facilities are ready. I think the track is, you know, it's at the level,” he said.
Indian racing driver Saishiva Sankaran also expressed strong support for Formula One and MotoGP returning to the Buddh International Circuit, describing it as an ideal F1-grade track and saying he would personally buy tickets to watch a Formula One race there.
“I 100% would love to see F1 back here. I would buy tickets to see this myself because I haven't seen a F1 race in real life yet. So I would say this is a perfect F1-grade track, and I feel that MotoGP and F1 should come back here. If I had so much joy driving here, I'm pretty sure other drivers would, too,” he told ANI. (ANI)