F1 Daily: Argentina Pushes for Return, Permane's Contract Extension, and More

While the drivers and teams are busy testing their setups in Interlagos, Formula 1's executives are working behind the scenes to bring the sport back to a historic venue. Do you want a hint? Here's one: Franco Colapinto will be very happy if these plans push through.

The Argentine Grand Prix might return sooner than you expect.

In an effort to bring Argentina back to the Formula 1 calendar, Buenos Aires mayor Jorge Macri recently had a meeting with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Macri said that the government is pushing to complete the renovations at the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez, the main race track in Buenos Aires.

The last Argentine Grand Prix was held in 1998, with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher taking the win, and Mika Hakkinen and Eddie Irvine rounding out the podium places. However, the event was discontinued due to financial difficulties faced by the organizers. 

The renovations on the track are ongoing and are now more than 60% complete. 

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto is of Argentine nationality and has a lot of backing and support from the Argentine fans.

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane will stay in the team through the end of 2031. Permane, who joined the team as racing director in 2024 and stepped up to the team principal position in 2025, has led Racing Bulls to a successful campaign this season. They currently have a 39-point lead over Alpine for fifth place in the standings, establishing themselves as the best midfield team in 2026.

However, Permane still has a difficult decision on whether to extend both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad in 2027, or break up the duo and introduce new blood in Nikola Tsolov. Lawson is currently the best midfield driver this season, while Lindblad has exceeded every expectation as a rookie driver.

McLaren's Lando Norris topped Free Practice 1 in Interlagos with a quickest time of 1:11.717, while Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli led FP2 with a lap of 1:10.763. 

It was an encouraging Friday for Norris and McLaren, especially with the upgrades they brought to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Norris also placed second in FP2, while his teammate Oscar Piastri was in sixth. 

Reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli took over Piastri's car in FP1 and finished with the 11th-fastest time.

Audi's Friday practice was a disaster, with rookie Freddie Slater sustaining a gearbox problem during FP1. Slater, who was driving Nico Hulkenberg's car, completed only seven laps before stopping on the track, triggering a red flag.

The car was beyond repair before FP2. A suspected electrical issue forced Hulkenberg to sit out the session, leaving the German without a representative practice session on Friday. Hulkenberg will be hard-pressed to learn everything he could during FP3 on Saturday, before he participates in qualifying in the afternoon.