Following the latest communiqué from the new Telangana government, Formula E has voiced additional worries about its race in Hyderabad, claiming it may not be able to hold the round on February 10.
The country’s first electric race was staged in February of this year, with then-IT Minister KT Rama Rao playing a key role in bringing the race to the city. KTR’s BRS party, however, lost the state election to Congress in December.
Given the operational constraints of organizing the first race, Formula E removed Hyderabad from the provisional calendar before adding it to the final calendar in October.
The change of guard has put them in a difficult position, with the Congress government’s letter to Formula E compounding their problems ahead of the race in six weeks.
Following a recent formal correspondence from Telangana’s new administration, Formula E is requesting immediate clarification of their contractual obligations under the agreement and how they may affect the Hyderabad race.
“Formula E is worried that the race will not be able to go as planned based on the content of the letter received,” Formula E said in a statement. Earlier this month, Formula E officials met with representatives of the incoming government.
Initially, a four-year agreement was negotiated between Formula E, the Telangana Government, and Greenko, which withdrew from the event following its initial edition.
The Formula E senior management team met with the new Telangana government leadership shortly after the elections earlier this month. Since then, there have been discussions.
“With the event just a few weeks away and in its final stages of preparation, Formula E, partners, and suppliers have already made significant commercial investments in the event.” “The inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix in February this year returned almost Rs 69,914 crore in positive economic impact to the region, many times more than the overhead costs invested by Formula E and the Government of Telangana,” according to a press release.
The price of a Formula E race varies. The inaugural race in Hyderabad cost more than Rs 150 crore to the stakeholders. Following Formula One’s departure in 2013, it was the first FIA World Championship event to be staged in India in ten years.
Formula E races are held in prominent global cities like Tokyo, Berlin, and London.