HYDERABAD: With less than six weeks to go for the second edition of the Hyderabad ePrix, the road to the event scheduled for February 10, 2024, looks bumpy.
According to a statement, the organisers received a communication from the newly elected government that could put the event in jeopardy.
They have “sought clarifications” from the government, it added.
Formula E and the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department signed the Host City Agreement on October 30.
However, in a recent official communication received from the Telangana government, Formula E is seeking urgent clarification of their contractual commitments under the agreement and how it could impact the event in Hyderabad.
Based on the content of the letter received, Formula E is concerned that the race will not be able to go ahead as planned, the statement read.
‘’Formula E’s senior executive team met with the new leadership of the Telangana government immediately following elections earlier this month. Discussions have been ongoing since then. 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’’, it added.
Further updates will follow in due course, they added.
The inaugural edition of the Hyderabad ePrix was held in February this year, becoming the first Indian city to do so. It led to $84 million in positive economic impact to the region, several times more of the investment made for the event by Formula E and the Government of Telangana.
Hyderabad was set to host the only official FIA World Championship event in India next year, alongside other iconic world cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin and London.