Mumbai Falcons Racing has appointed cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues as brand ambassador for the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026.

Rodrigues joins cricketer Shreyas Iyer as a brand ambassador for Mumbai Falcons ahead of the nationwide sim racing championship.

As part of the campaign, Rodrigues will encourage aspiring racers to participate in the competition and attend the Time Trials at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi from 30 July to 1 August. Competitors at the event will vie for a place in the next stage of the championship.

The championship will be contested on F1 25, the official game of the FIA Formula One World Championship, with participants competing on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox. Online qualifiers will be followed by city-based simulator rounds across 10 cities before a national final in Mumbai.

According to Formula 1, women now account for 42% of its global fanbase, up from 37% in 2018, while nearly 48% of new fans in 2025 were women. In India, women make up around 40% of the Formula 1 audience, with the country's fanbase growing from around 31 million in 2020 to nearly 79 million.

The championship carries an INR 2 crore prize pool, which will be used as a driver development fund to support the winning talent's motorsport journey.

The F1 Sim Racing India Open is part of MFRL's broader F1 India Programme, which also includes a school initiative focused on simulator training and talent identification.

Ameet Gadhoke, managing director, Mumbai Falcons Racing, said, “Formula 1 is evolving rapidly, and so is its audience. More youth and female audiences are following the sport than ever before, making this the right time to create opportunities that are open to everyone with the passion and talent to succeed. Jemimah represents the confidence, ambition and sporting excellence that resonates with this new generation, and her association strengthens our vision of building a more inclusive motorsport community. If more young girls begin to see motorsport as a sport they can actively participate in, we will have achieved something meaningful.”