F1 craze sets off Indians' chase for travel bookings

International travel is getting an unexpected push - from Lewis Hamilton. With the seven-time Formula 1 world champion leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari, Indian F1 fans are racing against time to see him in action in the iconic red racing suit.

Searches for travel to F1 host countries from India have surged by up to 40%, according to global travel search platform Skyscanner.

"We have been getting a lot of enquiries from India since at least the last six months. We never had this before," said Jay Chauhan, cofounder of UK-based Grand Prix Grand Tours that sells F1 tickets and all-access weekend packages.

This surge in interest coincides with the start of the 2025 F1 season - billed to be the most exciting in years with several new driver pairings and an anticipated shake-up in team and driver rankings - in Australia earlier this month.

"With Lewis most likely ending his career at Ferrari, I want to see him race at least once," said Noida-based businessman Digvijay Choudhary who has booked his ticket for the Singapore Grand Prix in October. The 30-year-old is attending the race with his sister who also supports Hamilton in his quest for a record eighth world title to move ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Also fuelling the excitement is Kush Maini, who has joined the Alpine F1 team as a test and reserve driver for this season to become the first Indian in 13 years to be part of an F1 team. Several rookies are making their debuts this season, adding to the intrigue.

Meanwhile, Netflix's documentary series Drive to Survive continues to attract new fans to the sport.

"For the recently concluded Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, India emerged as a key market, ranking at number 8 in the top 10 global markets that searched for travel during that period," said Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com.

According to Skyscanner, the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix next week has led to a 30.8% week-on-week increase in flight searches from India to Japan in the week starting March 31, while there is a 42.4% week-on-week surge in searches for travel to Bahrain in the week of April 7 ahead of the Bahrain GP.

DIY holiday booking platform Pickyourtrail has seen a 14% spike in travel inquiries this year coinciding with the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. "Our Baku Grand Prix package had performed exceptionally well last year," its cofounder Hari Ganapathy said. "We are witnessing a growing trend where travellers are combining F1 with extended vacations in Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia and are also extending their holiday to more than one sporting event-for example Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament followed by F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone," said SD Nandakumar, president & country head, Holidays and Corporate Tours, SOTC Travel. SOTC said the once-niche F1 is finding newer audiences in India's millennials and Gen Z population.

Ease in visa rules and improved connectivity to F1 host countries such as Singapore, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Qatar are also driving demand, travel industry officials said.

"Our data indicates a significant uptick for F1 racing. What's interesting is that Indian travellers are opting for premium offerings that provide behind-the-scenes access and luxury accommodations like exclusive club passes, meet-and-greet experiences with F1 teams and all-inclusive hospitality packages," said Rajeev Kale, president and country head, holidays, MICE, visa, at Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

Mishti Bose, CEO of luxury concierge company Quintessentially India, said attending an F1 race is an annual ritual for many in her member base. "We've been witnessing this trend for the last 2-3 years now. There has been a definitive rise in enquiries and bookings for F1 races, especially the ones being held in Abu Dhabi, Monaco, Bahrain and Silverstone," she said.