F1 Sim Racing India Open is set to make a landmark debut in Nagaland, with Kohima hosting a round of the national championship for the first time on August 28 and 29. The event will bring competitive virtual motorsport to the state while giving aspiring racers in the Northeast an opportunity to compete on professional-grade Formula 1 simulators.
The Kohima round will be held at the NBCC Convention Centre and organised by the Nagaland E Sports Society in collaboration with Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited and the Office of the Chief Minister, Nagaland. The announcement was made during a press conference at Zone Niathu, 7th Mile, Chumoukedima, on August 25.
Kohima prepares for major sim racing event
The upcoming event is being positioned as an important addition to Nagaland’s growing gaming and esports ecosystem. The Kohima round will form part of TXG Expo Nagaland 2026, a two-day event focused on gaming, esports, technology, artificial intelligence, digital creativity and emerging digital industries.
Organisers said the event will provide young participants with exposure to a rapidly expanding digital economy while creating opportunities to explore careers beyond traditional gaming. The programme will also connect participants with areas such as motorsport engineering, data analytics, race strategy, simulation technology, team operations, broadcasting and event management.
For Nagaland, hosting the round represents an opportunity to bring a national-level motorsport initiative to the Northeast and introduce competitive sim racing to a wider audience.
F1 Sim Racing India Open offers national pathway
The F1 Sim Racing India Open was launched earlier this year by Formula 1 and Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited as India’s first official F1-sanctioned sim racing championship. The initiative uses the official F1 game to create a structured platform for gamers and aspiring racers across the country.
Participants progress through time trials, online qualification stages and leaderboard-based competition before advancing through further stages of the championship. The programme is designed to make motorsport more accessible while identifying drivers with the potential to progress from virtual racing towards real-world competition.
The championship is being conducted on F1 25, using circuits, team liveries and competitive formats based on the Formula 1 environment. This gives participants an opportunity to develop skills such as precision, consistency, race craft and strategic decision-making in a controlled competitive setting.
Big prize pool and driver development opportunity
The Kohima round also comes with significant incentives for participants. According to the Nagaland government’s Department of Information and Public Relations, the championship has a total prize pool of Rs 2 crore. The overall winner will additionally receive an opportunity to participate in Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited’s “One in a Billion Hunt-Agla Star”, backed by a Rs 3 crore driver development fund.
The development programme is intended to help promising racers take their first steps towards professional motorsport. This virtual-to-real pathway is one of the central features of the national championship.
Mumbai Falcons has previously invested in developing young racing talent, and the organisation sees sim racing as another route to identifying drivers who may not have had access to traditional motorsport from an early age.
Why the Kohima round matters
The F1 Sim Racing India Open round could be particularly significant for the Northeast, where access to professional motorsport facilities has traditionally been limited. By bringing high-end racing simulators directly to Kohima, the organisers are lowering one of the barriers faced by young enthusiasts interested in pursuing motorsport.
The event also comes as Formula 1 continues to attract a large and growing audience in India. The national championship was created partly to provide that audience with a more direct route into competitive racing and esports. Formula 1 has described the programme as a way to engage India’s growing fan base while developing emerging talent.
Recent rounds elsewhere in the country have highlighted the nationwide nature of the initiative. Delhi hosted a major time-trial activation at Bharat Mandapam from July 30 to August 1, with successful competitors progressing towards zonal qualifiers and the national final.
Nagaland looks to strengthen digital opportunities
The Kohima event is expected to bring together motorsport enthusiasts, gamers, technology followers and young people interested in emerging digital careers. Beyond racing itself, TXG Expo Nagaland 2026 is intended to showcase new opportunities in technology and digital industries.
For local participants, the event could therefore serve as both a sporting competition and an introduction to the wider professional ecosystem surrounding modern motorsport and esports.
With the F1 Sim Racing India Open arriving in Kohima on August 28 and 29, Nagaland is set to become a new stop on India’s emerging virtual motorsport map. The event could help uncover fresh talent from the Northeast while giving local gamers a rare chance to compete in an officially sanctioned Formula 1 racing environment.
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