Calls for Argentina F1 return grow after Franco Colapinto Buenos Aires demo draws 600,000 fans
600,000 people watched Franco Colapinto drive an F1 car around the streets of Buenos Aires.
Franco Colapinto thrilled huge crowds during a Formula 1 demonstration run on the streets on Buenos Aires.
The Alpine F1 driver took to the streets of Argentina’s capital city in a 2012 Lotus E20 sporting the Enstone team’s 2026 livery for a special exhibition run on Sunday.
Colapinto wowed his adoring fans at the roadshow, which saw over 600,000 people attend and even featured a fly-by from the Historical Squadron of the Argentine Air Force.
The demo run - called the Mercado Libre presents: Franco Colapinto Road Show Buenos Aires 2026 - took place in the Palermo neighbourhood of Colapinto’s home city of Buenos Aires.
Avenida del Liberator and Avenida Sarmiento were transformed into a 2km street circuit for Colapinto’s outing.
Colapinto also drove a replica Mercedes W196 - the car in which Juan Manuel Fangio won the F1 world championship in 1954 and 1955.
With a fan forum, music acts and other activities, the event, which was supported by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, effectively became a festival.
Colapinto has become a star in his home country after making his F1 debut mid-way through the 2024 season with Williams, becoming the first Argentinian driver to compete in the world championship since Gaston Mazzacane in 2001.
The 22-year-old scored five points in nine races for Williams before switching to Alpine in 2025, where he replaced Jack Doohan after the opening six rounds.
Colapinto scored his long-awaited first points for Alpine at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
Amid Colapinto’s popularity, there are growing calls for F1 to return to Argentina, which last hosted a grand prix in 1998.
"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,” Colapinto said.
"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.”
The Oscar y Juan Galvez Autdrome will host MotoGP from next year and the venue harbours ambitions of staging F1 in the future.
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