Motorsports have had a new-found interest off lately, and some credit for this resurgence of popularity can be attributed to Netflix’s Drive to Survive making Formula 1 accessible and fun to follow for a much larger audience than ever before. 

Now, if you’re an Indian F1 fan, life is a little less exciting—the races are ridiculously expensive to attend and there’s a dearth of motorsports in the country, anyway. But things have not always been this way—back in 2011, the Buddh International Circuit in Delhi was the venue for the Indian Grand Prix! Imagine being able to catch your favourite drivers in action in your own country… but this dream scenario was shortlived, thanks to unfavourable tax impositions on the FIA. 

However, almost a decade later, motorsports have found a massive audience among the Indian diaspora. In fact, there’s a lot of celebrity power behind bringing it back to the country. Not only are brands and companies recognising this new trend, but are also now hosting more events that encourage this growing love for high-speed sports. 

Now, we have entities like the Indian Racing League, a single-seat, city-based, franchise-driven, gender-neutral racing league that provides young Indian drivers the opportunity to be a part of competitive racing, which runs in collaboration with the FIA Formula 4 Championship, and aims at nurturing talent for Formula 1. To get more and more eyeballs on this sport, the six team owners are all known faces ranging from John Abraham to Naga Chaitanya. 

And more recently, Tamil actor Ajith Kumar made headlines when his eponymous team secured the third place in the Dubai 24H race. But this isn’t the first motorsport Ajith has been a part of. Below, we’ve listed the details of Indian celebrities who own or have owned racing teams. Read all about their history… 

Also Read: The Top 6 Formula 1 Collabs Of 2024

7 Indian Celebrities Who Own or Owned Racing Teams:

1. Ajith Kumar 

Team: Ajith Kumar Racing 

Ajith Kumar is not only among the very few actors in the world to also have a super license, but also among the select few Indian celebrities who own their very own racing team. While he named his three-person squad after his own self, the Tamil actor has been participating in both local and international racing events since years! In fact, between 2003 and 2005, Ajith Kumar participated in the Formula BMW Asia, the British Formula 3 Scholarship Class and in Formula 2 Racing in the UK. Following a five-year break, the actor returned to motorsports with the Formula 2 FIA International Series in 2010 and also participated in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000, which was a single-seater championship organised in India. He went on a racing hiatus once again, only to return earlier this year with his very own team called Ajith Kumar Racing, which debuted in the FIA Dubai 24H Series (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup category). Alongside teammates Fabian Duffieux, Mathieu Detry and Cameron McLeod, Ajith’s team ranked third in the 991 category, while Ajith Kumar was conferred with the Spirit of the Race recognition in the GT4 category. 

2. MS Dhoni

Team: Mahi Racing Team India

MS Dhoni is among the biggest petrolheads in the country and being a star sportsman, it makes complete sense that Mahendra Singh Dhoni owned a racing team at one point. His Mahi Racing Team India (aka MSD R-N Racing Team) entered the last two rounds of the 2012 FIM Supersport World Championship with two Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R bikes for drivers, Florian Marino and Dan Linfoot. What’s more, Telugu superstar Nagarjuna is also a key member of this team, which returned for the 2013 season with 2012 World Supersport champion Kenan Sonuglu and Fabien Foret. However, the following year, the team began facing budget difficulties and had to withdraw. 

3. John Abraham 

Team: Goa Aces

Another celebrity who’s personal garage has been the envy of many auto lovers in the country in John Abraham. Last year, the actor founded his own racing team called the Goa Aces JA Races, who competed in the Indian Racing League in 2024 and not only defended their Entrant title but also won the Championship this year. 

Also Read: Top 10 Richest F1 Drivers In 2024, Ranked 

4. Sourav Ganguly

Team: Rarh Bengal Tigers Racing Team 

Just like Mahi, the former captain of the Indian cricket team also has a special interest in motorsports. In 2011, Ganguly was associated with the Kolkata team of the i1 Super Series, a city race modelled after the IPL. In his first ever series he was associated with was called i1 Super Series, which was launched as a way to make India familiar with motorsports and nuture local talent. While the league featured F1 veterans and racers who drove Radical SR3 cars, it was Ganguly’s popularity that drew a lot of eyeballs. However, due to several financial and logistical hurdles, the league was postponed twice before eventually, being shelved. Last year, the former cricketer became the team principle of the Rarh Bengal Tigers racing and won second place in championship standings of the Indian Racing League and clinched the third and fourth spot in the Entrant fight. 

5. Arjun Kapoor 

Team: Speed Demons Delhi

While Arjun Kapoor is among the celebrity team owners in the Indian Racing League, he is also the brand ambassador and promotor of the event. The actor bought the Speed Demons Delhi team in 2024 and they delivered a commendable performance and even won the second round at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit.  

6. Naga Chaitanya

Team: Hyderabad Blackhawks

South superstars seem to have a special soft spot for motorsports—Naga Chaitanya Akkineni is yet another petrolhead with a garage full of names like Ferrari and Porsche and a love for Formula 1 and other high-speed sports. And so, it makes sense that the actor would venture into the world of motorsports from an investment point of view. The Telugu actor acquired ownership of the Hyderabad Blackbucks in 2024, with drivers Neel Jani and Akhil Rabindra, who put together a satisfactory performance at the league this year. 

Also Read: F1 WAGs: Meet the 2024 Grid's Leading Ladies

7. Vijay Mallya 

Team: Force India F1 Racing Team

Former business mogul Vijay Mallya gave India’s its first Formula 1 team when he bought the Spyker F1 team with Michiel Mol and became the Team Principal of Force India in 2008 with Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella as the drivers. While the team’s results improved slightly after Mallya took over, signing drivers like Sergio Perez (in 2015), Esteban Ocon (in 2017) and Nico Hulkenburg (2013), who delivered a couple podium finishes for the team was the highlight. Mired with financial and legal troubles, Mallya was forced to selling Force India to Lawrence Stroll in 2018, who then renamed it Racing Point and today, is known as the Aston Martin F1 Team. But in their hayday, Force India attracted major Indian sponsors to F1 ranging from his very own Kingfisher Airlines to Sahara, ICICI Bank, Reliance Indisutries and Tata Sons. But F1 is not the only motorsport venture for Vijay Mallya—through his company UB Group, Mallaya had created Kingfisher Motorsport, an entity that acted as a key sponsor in several national and regional motorsport events. He also among the main players behind the A1 Grand Prix series, where his team A1 Team India represented the country and earned a podium finish in the 2005-06 season. He also invested in several racing championships held in India ranging from the Indian National Rally Championship to Indian Touring Car Championship and his business ventures saw him sponsor high-profile racing events like the Dakar Rally and MotoGP in India.