Official F1 Sim Racing Championship Coming to India in Partnership With Mumbai Falcons Racing

Amid news of an F1 racing revival in India, the Formula 1 organisation and Mumbai Falcons Racing have announced the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026, India’s first official national competitive racing simulation platform. The competition will be played using F1 2025, just like the F1 Sim Racing World Championship.

Gamers can compete in online qualification rounds on PC, PlayStation and Xbox platforms, following which live rounds will be held in multiple cities, leading up to an all-India finale in Mumbai in November. The Indian event will use identical circuits, formats, and team livery as the global series. Gamers can register for the championship starting April 30, using the Mumbai Falcons app.

This is the first time a country-exclusive F1 sim racing programme has been created. The event is billed as a “structured pathway from virtual competition to professional motorsport”, giving potential young drivers an entry point into the F1 ecosystem. An official launch announcement notes that India now officially recognises esports, thanks to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025.

In a press statement, India's first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan said “India has long been central to the 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, founded in 2019, aims to put India on the global motorsport map and give local talent a platform. It was the first Indian team to win an FIA-accredited international racing championship.