"Ahead of F1 Sprint, we celebrated South Asian Heritage Month"
Formula 1 marked South Asian Heritage Month at the 2026 British Grand Prix Sprint with a colourful Punjabi Bhangra performance on the Silverstone starting grid.
Ahead of Saturday’s Sprint race, Punjabi dancers and drummers transformed the iconic grid into a celebration of South Asian culture.
The performance was led by Jas Aulakh and her dance troupe, Bhangra Fam Academy, who performed to the popular Punjabi song ‘Kaun Nee Jaandah’ while dressed in traditional attire.
The display formed part of celebrations for South Asian Heritage Month 2026, which runs from July 1 to July 31.
It honours the history, culture and contributions of communities with roots in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and the Maldives.
Formula 1 later shared footage of the performance on its official social media channels, captioning it:
“Ahead of F1 Sprint, we celebrated South Asian Heritage Month with a special Bhangra performance on the grid.”
The showcase was widely praised online, with many fans applauding the sport for bringing Punjabi culture to one of motorsport’s biggest stages.
However, the celebrations were interrupted when one of the drummers fainted midway through the performance.
According to reports, medical staff quickly attended to the performer on the grid and placed him in the recovery position before he appeared to regain consciousness.
The individual was later taken away by ambulance for further medical treatment.
The incident took place as temperatures continued to rise throughout the British Grand Prix weekend.
Conditions at Silverstone reached around 26°C on July 4, with reports suggesting that dehydration caused by the hot weather contributed to the medical emergency.
Despite the brief disruption, the performance remained a significant moment for South Asian representation in Formula 1 during one of the sport’s most high-profile weekends.
The 2026 British Grand Prix weekend is expected to attract 570,000 spectators, making it one of the largest sporting gatherings in the UK calendar.
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The Sprint race itself produced plenty of drama, with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli claiming victory after Lewis Hamilton had started from pole position.
Speaking after securing pole position, Hamilton said:
“I love this place, I love this crowd, and I can’t express to you how big a dream it is.”
“I’m really grateful to get that pole. I was quick through all the session, but still, it was only 10 milliseconds, so it was very close to these guys.”
The 2026 British Grand Prix gets underway at 3 pm on July 5.
Meanwhile, the celebration of Punjabi culture at Silverstone came amid growing calls for greater South Asian representation across global sport and entertainment.
For many fans, the Bhangra performance offered a rare and highly visible showcase of South Asian heritage on one of the world’s biggest sporting platforms.
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