The Alpine driver drove the Lotus E20 and Fangio's legendary Mercedes W196: "We have the best fans in the world," he declared. The country aspires to return to the calendar, although competition is fierce with bids from India, Korea, South Africa and Rwanda.
Argentina once again dressed up to receive Formula 1, even if only in exhibition format. Franco Colapinto, the current Alpine driver, starred in a spectacular 'roadshow' on the streets of Buenos Aires that served to demand the return of the top category to Argentine soil, something that has not happened since 1998.
The Buenos Aires born driver, who is the first representative of the country in F1 since Gastón Mazzacane (Minardi, 2000), took full advantage of the April break to enjoy a mass turnout. At the wheel of the Lotus E20 with V8 engine, Colapinto delighted the gathered fans, but the most special moment came when he got into the legendary Mercedes W196, the car with which Juan Manuel Fangio won the world championship in 1955, considered one of the most revolutionary cars in the history of motorsport.
"I love Argentina, we have the best fans in the world and it's fantastic to show it. 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 fantastic day. Honestly, I really enjoyed it on a personal level: it's a dream come true" the Argentine declared after the event.
The message is clear, but the path is complicated. The 2026 F1 season has 24 Grands Prix and Liberty Media plans to reach a maximum of 25 races in 2027, this means that, for Argentina to enter, another Grand Prix would have to leave the calendar. The most realistic option points to 2029, when several circuits finish their current contracts, including those in Mexico, Singapore and Portugal.
The competition for that spot is fierce. Argentina is not the only country with aspirations: in Asia, India, South Korea and Thailand have shown a strong interest in hosting a race. Additionally, Formula 1 maintains its goal of expanding to Africa to complete its presence on all five continents, South Africa and Rwanda are the main candidates to host a round of the championship.
Colapinto, meanwhile, remains focused on his present at Alpine, the Argentine started 2026 with ups and downs: he scored his first point in China, but is struggling to keep up with his experienced teammate Pierre Gasly, the April break has served to recharge his batteries and also for this exhibition that has once again put Argentina on the F1 map.
The last Argentine Grand Prix was held in 1998 at the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez, a circuit that is currently undergoing a complete remodeling process and is scheduled to host MotoGP in 2027. For F1, we will have to wait, but Colapinto has already sent the message.