'Colapinto-mania' sweeps streets of Buenos Aires in historic Formula 1 show

Tens of thousands of 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 in an exhibition fuelled by petrolhead nostalgia and the excitement surrounding the youngster's charismatic rise.

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.

“It’s going to be a great day,” said the driver, one of three Latin Americans on the Formula 1 line-up, shortly before his first run.

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.

After the first doughnuts, the smell of burnt rubber lingered in the air.

“I don’t 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,” said Sergio González, a 48-year-old public sector worker attending with his 24-year-old son.

Around 500,000 people, according to organisers, packed the stands, fan zones and pavements, some wearing Alpine team shirts or the Albiceleste shirt of Argentina’s national football side.

“Hopefully this show shows Formula 1 what we can generate and that we can have a Grand Prix in Argentina again,” Colapinto said beforehand, drawing a roar from the crowd.

Argentina has not hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1998 – an absence keenly felt by the country’s petrolheads, as racing enthusiasts are known locally.

“This show is great to finally bring Formula 1 back. They’ve been going round in circles for years, saying it’s coming but it never does,” said Ignacio Rigl, 36.

Petrolhead tradition

In a country shaped by the legacy of Fangio and Carlos Reutemann, Colapinto’s arrival in Formula 1 has reignited interest among a fanbase with a deep-rooted motorsport tradition.

“Motorsport is very ingrained in Argentina,” said political scientist Belén Amadeo. “But we didn’t have anyone in Formula 1. This young man reinforces that passion for racing, and he does so with a very winning personality.”

Charismatic and effortlessly confident, Colpainto flirts with journalists, jokes with fans and shares viral videos that present him as a quick-witted celebrity.

“He has this boldness that resonates with the broader Argentine spirit,” Amadeo added.

In the stands, the mix of flags, ages and backgrounds reflected a phenomenon that, she believes, transcends the country’s usual divisions.

The finale – marked by a brief fire in the Lotus E20 that was quickly brought under control – underlined the emotional tone of the event, with Colapinto standing atop a pick-up truck as he waved goodbye to a crowd chanting “Franco, Franco."

“Sportspeople can embody a sense of popular identity that goes far beyond political thinking,” said Amadeo. “It’s a way of thinking that rises above divisions, without focusing on the rift or the economic problems.”

Leap into the elite

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.

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’s Pierre Gasly.

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.

Weeks earlier, in Australia, he narrowly avoided a collision with Liam Lawson at the start – a move highlighted by Formula 1 on its website for his “brilliant reflexes."

In a 2014 interview, when he was racing karts in Buenos Aires at the age of 11, a young Colapinto cautiously told a journalist: “Everyone dreams of reaching Formula 1, but I’m still very young and there’s a long way to go.”

At 14, he travelled alone to Italy to race for a kart chassis manufacturer. “I was skinny because I didn’t eat much,” he joked in an interview two years ago.

Now, he dreams of “being number one on the starting grid,” as he says in a promotional video.

His next race will take place next Sunday in Miami.