PUNE: Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited (MFRL) today announced The Bishop’s School, Pune, as the first Flagship Partner School under the Official F1® Sim Racing India Open Programme, a school-focused initiative aimed at introducing students to the world of sim racing and identifying emerging motorsport talent at an early stage.

Under the initiative, partner schools will receive simulator infrastructure, training support, and structured learning modules designed to introduce students to competitive sim racing and help identify emerging racing talent. Established in 1864, The Bishop’s School was chosen as MFRL’s first Flagship Partner School for its strong tradition of academic and sporting excellence, including recognition through the Commonwealth Youth Games Pune Award in 2008.

Pune makes an ideal starting point for the Flagship Partner School programme, given its strong connection with motorsport and automotive innovation in India. The city has produced generations of racing enthusiasts and competitors, supported by established motorsport infrastructure, a strong engineering culture, and an active grassroots community, which is an ideal environment to introduce structured sim racing programmes and identify students with the potential to pursue motorsport at a higher level.

Speaking at the event, Ameet Gadhoke, Managing Director, Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited, said, “One of the objectives behind bringing the F1® Sim Racing Programme to India is to make motorsport more accessible to young people across the country. Schools are an important part of that effort because they allow us to engage students and parents at an early stage and introduce them to a discipline that combines skill, focus, technology, and competition. We are delighted to welcome The Bishop’s School as the first Flagship Partner School and look forward to creating curiosity and opportunities for students who are interested in motorsports.”

Shayne McPherson, Principal and Honorary Secretary, The Bishop’s School, said, ”At The Bishop’s School, we have always believed in providing students with opportunities that extend beyond the traditional classroom and encourage them to explore emerging fields of interest. This partnership introduces our students to a globally recognised sport through a structured and educational format. Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited brings significant experience in developing young talent and competing at the highest levels of international motorsport, making them an ideal partner as we look to expose our students to new avenues for learning, competition, and personal growth.”

As the first school to join the programme, The Bishop’s School will work with MFRL to establish a sim racing environment within the school premises and provide students access to training and participation opportunities linked to the wider F1® India Programme. By partnering with schools, MFRL aims to introduce students to the sport in a safe, accessible, and educational setting while building awareness of emerging opportunities within motorsport.

The F1® Sim Racing India Open 2026 will span 10 cities across India, with participants competing on professional-grade simulators across Formula One circuits. Online qualifiers are currently open, and city-based simulator rounds will follow, culminating in a national final at the NSCI Dome, Mumbai, in November 2026.

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MUMBAI: Formula 1® and Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited announce 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.

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, commented, “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 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.

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