In the early 2000s, Indian motorsport was a whisper on the global stage—an afterthought in a Formula 1 calendar built for Europe’s royalty and Asia’s billionaires. Narain Karthikeyan briefly cracked the glass ceiling, and Karun Chandhok followed, but the pipeline ran dry far too soon. Today, the script is shifting. Indian drivers are no longer anomalies; they’re contenders. And 17-year-old Dion Gowda is part of a new class that’s driving India’s motorsport dream into sharper focus.
Born in Mysore and raised across Dubai and Singapore, Dion’s accent doesn’t betray his Indian roots—but his career ambitions certainly do. “The first time I went proper karting, I fell in love with it,” he says simply, recalling the formative spark that ignited in the paddocks of Singapore. Now, he’s contesting the fiercely competitive Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA)—a critical rung on the FIA’s ladder to Formula 1.
FRECA isn’t a sideshow. The Tatuus T-318 chassis and Renault powertrains make for high-speed, high-stakes racing across ten European circuits. It’s the domain of future F1 drivers—where raw speed meets technical polish, and results get noticed by the sport’s upper echelons. Dion’s team? None other than Van Amersfoort Racing, a Dutch outfit whose alumni include Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Mick Schumacher. “I’m currently racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with Van Amersfoort Racing,” he says. “My biggest career highlight so far was securing my first double pole and win in cars during Round 3 of the British F4 Championship.” That victory, coupled with a rookie win at Misano during Race 1 of Round 1 this year, has set the tone for a promising 2025. Dion is now back at it this weekend for Round 2 at Spa-Francorchamps (16–18 May), before returning later this month to contest Round 3 of the GB3 Championship at the same venue (30 May–1 June). “There’s still a long way to go, but it has been very positive,” he said in a recent chat, “and I’ve had an amazing team to work with.”
Gowda treats racing like a full-time craft. Each weekend, he and his coach break down performance into granular elements. “My coach and I usually identify a few key areas to focus on for each race weekend… continuous improvement across multiple aspects.” It’s a pragmatic approach for a teenager whose life revolves around reaction drills, travelling, and staying mentally sharp with headphones and a calm pre-race ritual. Ask him who he models himself after, and there’s no hesitation: “I really idolise Ayrton Senna—his raw speed was incredible. But currently, I’m a big fan of Lewis Hamilton.” You can see both influences in him: Senna’s intensity, Hamilton’s adaptability. And like them, Dion thrives on fast, flowing circuits. “Either Imola or Spa—both are high-speed, flowing tracks that make driving them incredibly fun.”
His helmet carries no poetic backstory. “It’s a design I had when I first started, and I’ve stuck with it ever since,” he shrugs. But maybe that’s fitting—Dion doesn’t posture or over-intellectualise his rise. He just races. If there’s pressure—especially as an Indian at this level—he wears it lightly. “A lot of people underestimate the amount of work and dedication involved,” he notes. “From constant training to non-stop travelling and spending weeks away from home, it’s a demanding lifestyle.”
And if this weren’t his life? “If I weren’t racing, I’d probably be involved in some kind of business with my dad.” But that feels distant—almost comically out of place when you see how laser-focused Dion is on the track ahead. He’s one of just a handful of Indians on the global single-seater ladder today. But if Dion Gowda plays his cards right, he won’t just make it to Formula 1—he’ll make sure the next Indian drivers don’t have to wait so long to follow.
