Franco Colapinto has issued a plea for Argentina to return to the Formula 1 calendar after drawing a huge crowd in a demo run in Buenos Aires.
The home hero was partaking in an event named Mercado Libre presents: Franco Colapinto Road Show Buenos Aires 2026, which saw the Alpine driver appear in front of around 600,000 people in his home neighbourhood of Palermo in the country’s capital.
In a 2km street circuit constructed for the event, Colapinto paraded himself in a 2012 Lotus E20, resprayed in Alpine colours.
The 22-year-old then took to the wheel of the Mercedes W196, the car that took Argentina’s most celebrated driver – Juan Manuel Fangio – to the F1 title in 1954 and 1955.
Colapinto is currently in his first full season of F1, having taken over from Jack Doohan at the Enstone-based squad from Round 7 of last year’s championship.
Before that, he completed nine races with Williams during 2024, replacing the axed Logan Sargeant, and became the first Argentinian driver since Carlos Reutemann to score points in a Grand Prix.
Locking in for the donuts! 🍩😮💨
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 26, 2026
Franco Colapinto puts on a show for the fans in Buenos Aires 🙌#F1 pic.twitter.com/CaKSsOpHMA
Statistics like this emphasise why Colapinto has attracted a monumental fanbase, and speaking after the event, he stated they were proof that the country should host a Grand Prix again, having not done since 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,” he 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.”
Colapinto is a huge draw for his partisan supporters, but controversies around their behaviour towards drivers with which he has had on-track skirmishes have been an ongoing issue.
However, there is little doubt that if the country was to host a Grand Prix again, it would be a huge sell-out.
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