Formula Bharat is back for 2026, celebrating a decade of speed and skills
Formula Bharat marks 10 years of turning students into top engineers in motorsports, will coincide with the Indian Hardware Meet at KMS International Circuit, Coimbatore;
Formula Bharat turns 10 and is back in 2026 for with its prestigious Student Competition
Imagine young engineering students, eyes lit up with excitement, tweaking and tinkering with engines, testing brakes and getting their hands dirty under the hot Coimbatore sun. That's the magic of Formula Bharat 2026, and this 10th edition will be hosted from Jan 21 to 26, 2026 at Kari Motor Speedway International Circuit, Coimbatore. It will also coincide with the Indian Hardware Startup Meet, where 14 hardware and deep-tech startups will gather to impart their industrial experience to the engineers of tomorrow.
As India's official Formula Student Competition, this year’s competition has amassed participation entries from over 60 student-led teams from 19 Indian states, students who are brimming with enthusiasm to roll in with their hand-built formula racecars. These students don't just study theory, they design, build, and race under tough rules that mirror real-world demands like cost control, safety, and speed. It is worth mentioning that Formula Bharat is the only Formula Student race in South Asia that is recognised in the Formula Student World Rankings.
South Asia's biggest Formula Student competition takes place across two broad categories — combustion vehicle and electric vehicle
The Formula Bharat 2025 edition featured a total of 57 team with 23 combustion vehicle (CV) teams and 34 electric vehicle (EV) teams, wherein the CV class was won by Team Yeti Racing from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), while Team Kratos Formula Racing claimed victory in the EV class for the Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PCCE).
Our country is an emerging beacon of manufacturing and deep-technology, and the demand for experientially skilled workforce has never been higher. Formula Bharat has been fostering and promoting the importance of strengthening theoretical knowledge with requisite industrial know-how. It’s been catering to the demands of Indian industries across prominent sectors like — automotive, battery technology and the larger realm of IT. These industries demand and crave engineers who can turn ideas into reality, not just ace exams. Formula Bharat fills that gap, pushing colleges to back hands-on projects so grades hit the ground running. Sponsors and companies flock here, scouting talent and showing-off tech. For many, a strong finish means job opportunities with automotive giants or electric vehicle startups. This is where raw passion meets opportunity, one darting racecar backed by multiple brainstormers at a time.
Teammates engaged in a collaborative problem-solving routine, tinkering their hand-built formula racecar
This year, the platform is set to expand the scope of its altruistic endeavours with a coinciding, Indian Hardware Startup Meet – inviting 14 deep-tech startups in mobility, electronics, and manufacturing to inspire the impressionable engineering students.
Formula Bharat is an initiative for garnering attention and boosting the significance of hands-on learning in engineering. For the better part of the last decade, this outfit’s been bridging the gap between the classroom and the real-world, by acquainting the youth with a hands-on skillset to eventually drive them closer to the industry and its needs for clinching the best employment opportunities.