When Franco Colapinto steers a Formula One car through the streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday, it will be a landmark moment.

For the first time, an Argentinian driver will demonstrate F1 machinery on the capital’s roads, connecting a new generation of inspired fans with a sport that has a long and distinguished history. It’s the latest chapter in a rich motorsport story that stretches back to the 1950s.

A homecoming moment

Franco will drive a BWT Alpine Formula One Team-liveried E20, from 2012, through the neighbourhood of Palermo as part of an historic roadshow, delivered in partnership with Mercado Libre and his home city of Buenos Aires.

Two official show runs with the Renault V8-powered car will headline a full day of celebrations, alongside fan experiences, music acts and entertainment. The Road Show will be run on the Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Sarmiento, which form a 2km street course, where Franco will have the honour of driving in front of his passionate fans. The event underlines motorsport’s growing momentum in the country, with recent data showing there are 17.2 million F1 fans in Argentina alone.

An illustrious history of driving talent

When Franco made his F1 debut in 2024 he became the 28th Argentinian to enter a World Championship Grand Prix, continuing a long tradition of successful drivers competing at the highest level of motorsport.

One of the most decorated drivers in the sport’s history was Juan Manuel Fangio, who dominated 1950s Grand Prix racing to claim 24 race victories and five world titles, a benchmark that stood for more than half a century. Another legend of that era was José Froilán González, who was known as the ‘Pampas Bull’ for his fearless, hard-charging style.

Decades later, Carlos Reutemann carried Argentinian hopes through a distinguished career spanning ten years from 1972 to 1982. He made 146 starts, winning 12 Grands Prix, and just missed out on the World Championship by a single point, losing out in the 1981 Las Vegas season finale. Before Franco, the last driver to race in F1 from Argentina was Gaston Mazzacane, who competed for Prost in 2001.

A capital idea: a race track in the city

Argentina’s connection to Formula One extends beyond its drivers, as back in 1953 a race track on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires hosted the first World Championship race held in South America. The venue, later known as the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez, staged a further 16 F1 races up to 1981. It is named after the Gálvez brothers, with older brother Oscar a competitor in the original 1953 event.

Following redevelopment in the 1990s, Formula One returned for four more races between 1995 and 1998, to compete on a revised 4.2km layout. In that final race, Alex Wurz, driving for the Enstone-run Benetton finished fourth and recorded the only fastest lap of his career.

With renewed investment into the circuit and an expanded capacity for 150,000 spectators, the Buenos Aires track is preparing to welcome top-tier motorsport back to the venue as it gears up to host MotoGP in the coming years. Before then, Argentinian fans will get the chance to experience the sight and sound of F1 machinery, when Franco takes to the wheel on the streets of the capital for what is set to be a memorable homecoming weekend.