‘It was one of my dreams to drive in Argentina’ – Colapinto reflects on uplifting road show in Buenos Aires

Franco Colapinto has expressed just how much his appearance driving an F1 car in front of a packed-out Buenos Aires crowd meant to him, sharing that it has always been “one of my dreams to drive in Argentina”.

The Argentinian racer ticked off a historic moment as he took to the streets of his home country’s capital city in a road show, getting behind the wheel of both the 2012 Lotus E20 – which was decked out in an updated Alpine livery – and a replica of Juan Manuel Fangio’s Mercedes W196.

With an estimated 600,000 passionate fans gathering to watch Colapinto complete high-speed runs and burnouts in his home city, he was able to achieve a lifelong ambition of bringing the F1 action closer to his supporters and family.

“It was one of my dreams to drive in Argentina, and to bring a Formula 1 car to my country was one of the other things I really wanted to do since I was a kid,” he said. “To have the chance and the support of the team and have so many people that were pushing for it was really cool, and to see so many happy faces and so many people enjoying, watching but also listening – there were ones who were also very far back and just hearing the engine roar and the burnouts and doughnuts – it was really exciting for everyone.

“I could see them enjoying it a lot, which was also what I wanted. To spend some time with my family and to have the chance to see them next to me whilst I was driving and in that character of being a racing driver – they don’t get to see me like that often, so it was really cool. My grandma and friends were there as well, so it was a very cool day and a nice experience.”

The Alpine driver recognised that the distance to many of the Grands Prix on the calendar often presents a challenge for his home fans, making the event – titled Mercado Libre presents: Franco Colapinto Road Show Buenos Aires 2026 – even more special.

He explained: “It’s really hard for any Argentinian fan to come to Europe or even Miami or Brazil, which are closer but still really far away. It’s a massive sacrifice for people to come and support me, so to have the chance of going there and bringing them an F1 car and that vibe, that feeling and energy of having an F1 car in their streets is something really cool.

“Instead of them coming to me to see me race, I came to them. That’s something I always want to do, and I always want to be in Argentina with an F1 car. I want it to be on a race weekend soon, but it’s a great first step to show what they can do and the passion that they have.”

Colapinto is hopeful that he can carry the positive energy into this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, which marks the grid’s return to action after nearly five weeks and is set to see many teams introduce upgrades.

Looking back on how useful the break was, he explained: “We worked a lot. We had a filming day as well and a lot of sim, and the engineers worked really hard. I think generally it’s been a positive break. Hopefully we can bring some more performance here in Miami and have a good weekend.

“I think it’s always cool to go back to my country, my home and spend some time with my loved ones. It is very rare during the year – I always go in December and January for Christmas and New Year.

“To have the chance to go between races and spend some time with them and get that energy and vibe from the Argentinians was something I am not used to, but it definitely recharged my energy and made me ready for Miami.”