Fresh concerns emerge over Formula E race in Hyderabad after change of guard in Telangana

On Thursday, Formula E announced that it was seeking urgent clarification with the new Government of Telangana led by the Congress after receiving a letter which could impact the Hyderabad race.

Hyderabad:  On Thursday, Formula E announced that it was seeking urgent clarification with the new Government of Telangana led by the Congress after receiving a letter which could impact the Hyderabad race which is scheduled to take place on February 10, 2024.

The statement read: “Following a recent official communication received from the new Government of Telangana, Formula E is seeking urgent clarification of their contractual commitments under the agreement and how it could impact the Hyderabad race.Based on the content of the letter received, Formula E is concerned the race will not be able to go ahead as planned.”

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Formula E’s senior executive team met with the new leadership of the Government of Telangana 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.

The inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix in February this year returned almost $84 million in positive economic impact to the region, many times more than the overhead costs invested by Formula E and the Government of Telangana.

Former IT minister and BRS working president KT Rama Rao played a pro-active role in bringing the Formula E event to Hyderabad, and has clearly placed the city front and centre on the electric mobility field globally besides giving the industry a boost nationally. But now, the city has been missing a major event due to some unforeseen reasons after the change of guard in the state.