Formula Bharat concluded its 10th edition in Coimbatore, marking a significant milestone for India's student engineering landscape with the country's first Formula Student autonomous vehicle demonstration.
The competition attracted over 60 student teams from institutions across India, competing in combustion and electric vehicle categories. Camber Racing from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, claimed top honors in the combustion category, while Veloce Racing from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, secured first place in the electric category.
A key highlight was the autonomous vehicle showcase presented by IIT Bombay Racing, demonstrating advances in perception systems and vehicle intelligence. Building on this, organizers announced the introduction of an autonomous category starting in 2027, expanding the competition across three disciplines.
The event also featured the Indian Hardware Startup Meet, bringing together 14 startups with student teams, venture capitalists, and industry recruiters. Participating startups showcased innovations in electric mobility, robotics, drones, and advanced manufacturing.
Formula Bharat 2026 received support from major industry partners including MathWorks, DigiKey, Ansys, Bosch Global Software Technologies, and Applied Materials, among others.
Looking ahead, organizers outlined plans for academic integration, aiming to establish formal recognition of Formula Student projects within university curricula. The initiative seeks to enable student participation to count toward academic credit, strengthening faculty involvement and industry-academia alignment.
Registrations for Formula Bharat 2027 are scheduled to open in March 2026.