Pune, July 2026: Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited (MFRL), in association with Formula 1®, has commenced the nationwide rollout of its Flagship Partner School Programme, bringing professional Formula 1® simulators, structured driver education, and grassroots talent identification into Indian schools. Marking the first implementation of the initiative, The Bishop’s School, Pune hosted the city’s first Official F1® Sim Racing India Open School Time Trials from 26th to 29th June, becoming the first school in the country to operationalise the programme. The initiative combines structured training with competitive sim racing through professional Formula 1® simulators, educating students on the technical and strategic foundations of motorsport while introducing them to career opportunities across race engineering, vehicle dynamics, data analytics and simulation engineering. Pune has long been recognised as India’s automotive and engineering powerhouse, making it the natural choice to cultivate future motorsport talent across multiple disciplines. The Time Trials witnessed enthusiastic participation, attracting 881 students, including 528 Junior and 353 Senior participants over three rounds. The competition was closely contested, with the Top 100 leaderboard comprising 52 Junior and 48 Senior drivers. In the Senior category, Rayyan Bakshi set the fastest lap with a time of 1:21.811, while Armaan Khinvasara topped the Junior category with an impressive 1:23.347. Demonstrating the high standard of competition, 40 Junior participants recorded lap times below the 1:30.000 certificate benchmark. The margins at the top were exceptionally narrow, with the Top 3 Senior drivers separated by just 0.056 seconds and the Top 3 Junior drivers by only 0.098 seconds. The leading performers can now move forward within the Official F1® Sim Racing India Open talent pathway starting with the zonal levels. The overall results will also help benchmark student performance as the programme expands to schools across the country. Speaking on the initiative, Ameet Gadhoke, Managing Director, Mumbai