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Argentinian eyes return to the F1 calendar after Franco Colapinto sparks a sudden rise in popularity

Posted on by Vaseline
Argentinian eyes return to the F1 calendar after Franco Colapinto sparks a sudden rise in popularity

The Argentine government is considering organizing another Formula 1 Grand Prix after Franco Colapinto’s debut sparked enormous popularity in the South American country.

Argentinian driver Colapinto, 21, replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams after the Dutch Grand Prix in August and scored his first points with an eighth-place finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. It made Colapinto the first Argentine to score points since Carlos Reutemann in 1982.

However, despite his strong form, Colapinto’s options for 2025 appear limited with Carlos Sainz already confirmed as Alex Albon’s team-mate. Williams boss James Vowles has held opening talks with Sauber (Audi) about their open second seat.

As a result of Colapinto’s performance, F1’s popularity in Argentina has soared in the past month, with many residents exploring the possibility of attending the Brazilian Grand Prix next month, as the last Argentine Grand Prix was in 1998 Buenos Aires was. The Brazilian Interlagos circuit is the only South American circuit to host an F1 race.

But Argentina’s Minister of Tourism, Environment and Sports, Daniel Scioli, told the Argentine outlet La Agencia de Viajes recently: “I spoke with President Javier Milei and the Secretary General of the Presidency Karina Milei to coordinate all efforts so that Argentina can once again host a Formula 1 race.”

Scioli will also attend the Brazilian GP in Sao Paulo next month to begin discussions with F1 staff about Argentina’s return to the calendar.

With next year’s 24-race schedule already confirmed, Argentina could return to the calendar in 2026 at the earliest.

Argentina last hosted an F1 race at the Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez in Buenos Aires in 1998

Argentina last hosted an F1 race at the Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez in Buenos Aires in 1998 (Getty Images)

That date seems ambitious, however, as the Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez – which hosted the last race in Argentina – has fallen into disrepair and requires substantial investment to return to the FIA ​​Grade 1 status needed to host F1 .

F1 is also exploring potential opportunities to stage races in Rwanda, Thailand and South Korea as it looks to benefit from global growth in recent years.

Madrid will host the Spanish Grand Prix with a street circuit from 2026, with the future of F1 at its current venue in Barcelona in doubt.

There are currently seven locations whose agreements with F1 expire after 2025: Belgium, Monaco, Italy (Monza), Mexico, Imola, the Netherlands and China.

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