The Indian Racing League and the F4 Indian Championship are taking FIA-spec cars back to the Buddh International Circuit for the first time since the track hosted a Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, a 13-year gap that ends on October 31. The Chennai opener that was meant to kick off the rest of the season has also shifted: organisers now list it for October 22-23, two days earlier than the October 24 date we reported in September, when the franchises and their new race car were the only confirmed details.
The correction comes from the Indian Racing Festival’s own October 7 calendar update, independently confirmed by Autocar India and Free Press Journal. It also answers a question we raised three weeks ago about whether the Navi Mumbai street race would miss its date again. Short answer: it now has a firm slot, December 5-6, and this time it is backed by a full four-round calendar that both series have locked in.
The Real 2026 Calendar, After the October 7 Correction
Both series share every venue and weekend this year, which is new. In past seasons the Indian Racing League and F4 India ran separate calendars with only partial overlap.
| Round | Venue | Dates | Series racing |
| 1 | Madras International Circuit, Chennai | October 22-23 | IRL + F4 India (F4’s Round 3) |
| 2 | Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida | October 31-November 1 | IRL + F4 India |
| 3 | Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida | November 28-29 | IRL + F4 India |
| 4 (Finale) | Navi Mumbai Street Circuit | December 5-6 | IRL + F4 India, night race |
F4 India has already run two rounds at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore in September, so Chennai is actually its third round even though it is the Indian Racing League’s season opener. The Goa Street Circuit, which hosted a round in an earlier season, is not on this year’s calendar at all.
Why Buddh International Circuit Actually Matters Here
Buddh hosted the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix for three years before the race was dropped after the 2013 edition, and no FIA-sanctioned car series has raced there since. Telangana Today’s October 7 report on the new calendar frames the Buddh rounds as “FIA-level racing returning to the venue after a 13-year gap,” and that is the real headline buried under the date change. The track itself has not vanished in the meantime, it still runs track days and smaller national events, but a franchise series with six city-owned teams and live JioHotstar and Star Sports coverage is a different scale of event for a circuit that has mostly sat outside the national conversation since the F1 cars left.
Does the Navi Mumbai Finale Actually Hold This Time?
We were openly skeptical about this date in September, because the Navi Mumbai Street Circuit was originally meant to debut in 2025 and that race never happened. The venue is real: a dedicated 3.69 km street circuit near Palm Beach Road, built to run as a night race under lights. Three independent reports now carry the same December 5-6 date for both series’ finale, which is a stronger signal than the single press release that set the 2025 date which later slipped. It is still a street circuit finale in a market with zero history of running one on schedule, so treat the date as confirmed by sourcing rather than guaranteed by venue readiness.
Who’s Racing: Six Franchises, One Tight Title Fight
The Indian Racing League’s six city teams are unchanged from the season opener we covered in September, and the same F4 India drivers who were fighting it out at Coimbatore carry their points into Chennai.
| Team | City | Status |
| Goa Aces JA Racing | Goa | Defending champions; owned by John Abraham |
| Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru | Bengaluru | F4 points leader Aris Kyriakou races here |
| Kolkata Royal Tigers | Kolkata | Owned by Sourav Ganguly |
| Hyderabad Blackbirds | Hyderabad | Round 2 race winner Bhuvan Bonu races here |
| Speed Demons Delhi | Delhi | Owned by Arjun Kapoor |
| Chennai Turbo Riders | Chennai | Owned by Accord Group; home team for Round 1 |
The F4 India title fight that was already close after Coimbatore has stayed close. Aris Kyriakou, who races for Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru, leads Luviwe Sambudla of Goa Aces JA Racing by 93 points to 88 after two rounds, a 5-point gap that has not moved since our last update. Sambudla won two of the three Round 2 races at Coimbatore; Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Bhuvan Bonu took the third.
What are the new 2026 Indian Racing League dates?
Chennai’s Madras International Circuit hosts the opener on October 22-23, followed by two rounds at the Buddh International Circuit on October 31-November 1 and November 28-29, and a Navi Mumbai Street Circuit finale on December 5-6. The Chennai date moved two days earlier than the October 24 originally announced.
Where can I watch the Indian Racing League races in India?
Every round of both the Indian Racing League and the F4 Indian Championship streams live on JioHotstar, with select coverage also simulcast on Star Sports.
Is the Navi Mumbai street race definitely happening this time?
It is booked for December 5-6 across three independent reports, which is firmer sourcing than the 2025 date that slipped. The street circuit itself is built and real, but India has no track record yet of a street race here running exactly on schedule, so treat it as confirmed-on-paper until race week.
