| Chennai Formula Racing Circuit | |
| Time: | (Indian Standard Time) |
| Location: | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Architect: | Driven International |
| Events: | Current: Indian Racing League (2024) F4 India (2024) |
| Layout1: | Street Circuit (2024) |
| Length Km: | 3.500 |
| Length Mi: | 2.175 |
| Turns: | 19 |
Chennai Formula Racing Circuit is a 3.500km (2.175mi) street circuit in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India that will host the F4 Indian Championship and the Indian Racing League.
Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL), the organisers of the Indian Racing League and F4 Indian Championship, conceived a street circuit in Chennai and in collaboration with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). The circuit was formally launched on August 16.[1] It is the second street circuit in India after Hyderabad, which hosted the 2023 Hyderabad ePrix. The circuit is scheduled to host India’s first-ever night street race. It was planned to host the IRL and F4 India round on 9 and 10 December 2023.[2] However, the race was canceled due to Cyclone Michaung.[3] The circuit will host races in August 2024.[4]
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, signed between Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on behalf of the Tamil Nadu state government and IRL and F4 India promoters RPPL for a period of three years, the TN government will fund Indian Rs. 42 crores, while RPPL will invest Rs. 200 crores.[5] SDAT has also tied up with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), to take up the work.[6] The first tranche of Rs. 15 crores were presented by SDAT at a special event in Chennai on 13 October 2023.[7]
The president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) Akbar Ebrahim, Akhilesh Reddy, chairman and MD of RPPL and Armaan Ebrahim, one of the directors of RPPL, were present during the signing of the MoU in Chennai.
The 3.500 km (2.175 mi) circuit will be situated around the Island Grounds. It starts from Island Grounds and will run through Flag Staff Road-Victory War Memorial, Pallavan Road (junction), Sivananda Road and Napier Bridge and ends at Island Grounds.[8] It has significant elevation changes, and it runs about from the Bay of Bengal, within the view of Marina Beach.[9] [10] The street circuit will run in an anti-clockwise direction and has 19 corners with multiple chicanes.[11] The pitlane and paddock will be on the Island Grounds. It is designed by Driven International, the group which built the Hyderabad Street Circuit that hosted India's first Formula E race.[12] After concerns regarding Cyclone Michaung cancelled the inaugural races in December 2023, the first use of the circuit had to be postponed to August 2024.