Franco Colapinto draws 600,000 fans as Argentina pushes for F1 return

Argentina has been absent from the Formula 1 calendar for almost 30 years, yet on Sunday Buenos Aires drew a bigger crowd in a single day than is typically seen at many grands prix, all eager to watch Franco Colapinto in action.

The 22-year-old has become a national sensation since making his F1 debut with Williams in mid-2024 before moving to Alpine in 2025, and he took to the streets in the 2012 Lotus E20 powered by a Renault V8 engine – the same package with which Kimi Raikkonen won in Abu Dhabi that year.

The venue, much to the delight of the hundreds of thousands in attendance, was a specially created street circuit in Palermo, one of the city’s most picturesque districts.

Colapinto completed two runs of around 15 minutes each in the Lotus, now carrying Alpine’s current colours, and made sure the crowd got the full experience by unleashing the roar of the V8 along Avenida Libertador while also performing donuts in each sector of the circuit. Just as he had promised beforehand, the finale came with the car literally on fire after more than a minute of continuous spins with the engine at full revs.

The event also provided a link between the present and the past of Formula 1, as well as Argentina’s own history in the sport, when Colapinto drove a replica Mercedes W196 – the car in which Juan Manuel Fangio won the world championship in 1954 and 1955.

At that point, the Argentine stepped out of the Silver Arrow at various points around the circuit to greet supporters, appearing determined to acknowledge as many as possible.

Later, to bring the day to a close, he again tested his stamina by climbing down from the truck on which he completed a farewell lap before once more diving into the crowd.

Franco Colapinto aceleró en las calles de Buenos Aires (Foto Nico Ferreyra)

Colapinto also used the occasion to send a message to Formula 1 in front of the huge turnout in Buenos Aires.

"I love Argentinians. We are the best fans in the world and it is great to show that, because we are showing Formula 1 that we deserve to return to the calendar and that we deserve to have a race again.

"It was a great day. Honestly, I enjoyed it so much personally – it is a dream come true. I’m very happy with the day we had today, enjoying it with everyone, with all my people who have supported me for such a long time."

Colapinto’s comments about a possible Formula 1 return to Argentina were no coincidence, as he visited the Oscar y Juan Galvez Autodrome earlier in the week. The venue is currently being redeveloped in order to host MotoGP from the start of 2027.

However, the ultimate ambition is to bring Formula 1 back to the country, which has not staged a grand prix since 1998. While discussions with championship officials remain at an early stage, images from Sunday’s event – along with Colapinto’s message – will surely find their way to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

Who knows, perhaps the next time Colapinto drives an F1 car in Argentina, it will be at his home grand prix…

Franco Colapinto saluda a los fans en el road show de Buenos Aires (Foto Vicky Dragonetti)