Tens of thousands\u00a0of people turned out in Buenos Aires on Sunday for a special street show by Formula 1 star Franco Colapinto, bringing the sound of motorsports back to the capital for a few hours\u00a0in an exhibition fuelled by petrolhead nostalgia and the excitement surrounding the youngster’s\u00a0charismatic rise.<\/p>\n
Colapinto, 22, drove a Lotus E20 in the colours of the Alpine F1 Team, and also took the wheel of a replica of the legendary Silver Arrow raced by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1950s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a great day,\u201d said the driver, one of three Latin Americans on the Formula 1 line-up, shortly before his first run.<\/p>\n
Air force planes flew overhead as the affluent Palermo district was turned into a temporary racetrack and brought to a standstill by the two-kilometre-long exhibition course.<\/p>\n
After the first doughnuts, the smell of burnt rubber lingered in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if this would happen in another country. Here, a kid turns up with a 2012 car and look what it generates. This is something else,\u201d said Sergio Gonz\u00e1lez, a 48-year-old public sector worker attending with his 24-year-old son.<\/p>\n
Around 500,000 people, according to organisers, packed the stands, fan zones and pavements, some wearing Alpine team shirts or the Albiceleste<\/em>\u00a0shirt of Argentina\u2019s national football side.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully this show shows Formula 1 what we can generate and that we can have a Grand Prix in Argentina again,\u201d Colapinto said beforehand, drawing a roar from the crowd.<\/p>\n Argentina has not hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1998 \u2013\u00a0an absence keenly felt by the country\u2019s petrolheads, as racing enthusiasts are known locally.<\/p>\n \u201cThis show is great to finally bring Formula 1 back. They\u2019ve been going round in circles for years, saying it\u2019s coming but it never does,\u201d said Ignacio Rigl, 36.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In a country shaped by the legacy of Fangio and Carlos Reutemann, Colapinto\u2019s arrival in Formula 1 has reignited interest among a fanbase with a deep-rooted motorsport tradition.<\/p>\n \u201cMotorsport is very ingrained in Argentina,\u201d said political scientist Bel\u00e9n Amadeo. \u201cBut we didn\u2019t have anyone in Formula 1. This young man reinforces that passion for racing, and he does so with a very winning personality.\u201d<\/p>\n Charismatic and effortlessly confident, Colpainto flirts with journalists, jokes with fans and shares viral videos that present him as a quick-witted celebrity.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has this boldness that resonates with the broader Argentine spirit,\u201d Amadeo added.<\/p>\n In the stands, the mix of flags, ages and backgrounds reflected a phenomenon that, she believes, transcends the country\u2019s usual divisions.<\/p>\n The finale \u2013\u00a0marked by a brief fire in the Lotus E20 that was quickly brought under control \u2013\u00a0underlined the emotional tone of the event, with Colapinto standing atop a pick-up truck as he waved goodbye to a crowd chanting \u201cFranco, Franco.\u00bb<\/p>\n \u201cSportspeople can embody a sense of popular identity that goes far beyond political thinking,\u201d said\u00a0Amadeo.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a way of thinking that rises above divisions, without focusing on the rift or the economic problems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Born in Pilar, 50 kilometres northwest of Buenos Aires, Colapinto reached the elite after a rapid rise through the European junior ranks. His move into the Williams Racing academy in 2023 opened a new chapter.<\/p>\n He made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in September 2024, replacing US driver Logan Sargeant. He has held a full-time seat at Alpine since May 2025 alongside France\u2019s Pierre Gasly.<\/p>\n Despite his popularity, he has yet to reach the podium. He finished 16th at the Japanese Grand Prix in March, where he became embroiled in controversy after an incident with Oliver Bearman that ended in a heavy crash for the Briton.<\/p>\n Weeks earlier, in Australia, he narrowly avoided a collision with Liam Lawson at the start \u2013\u00a0a move highlighted by Formula 1 on its website for his \u201cbrilliant reflexes.\u00bb<\/p>\n In a 2014 interview, when he was racing karts in Buenos Aires at the age of 11, a young Colapinto cautiously told a journalist: \u201cEveryone dreams of reaching Formula 1, but I\u2019m still very young and there\u2019s a long way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n At 14, he travelled alone to Italy to race for a kart chassis manufacturer. \u201cI was skinny because I didn\u2019t eat much,\u201d he joked in an interview two years ago.<\/p>\n Now, he dreams of \u201cbeing number one on the starting grid,\u201d as he says in a promotional video.<\/p>\n His next race will take place next Sunday in Miami.<\/p>\n by Leila Macor, AFP<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nPetrolhead tradition<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Leap into the elite<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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