The Alpine driver took centre stage in a large-scale roadshow through the Palermo district, transforming the city into a temporary motorsport festival and turning what began as an exhibition into a powerful statement of intent about Argentina’s F1 ambitions.
Colapinto drove a 2012 Lotus E20, running in Alpine colours, on a specially created 2km street layout along Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Sarmiento, with organisers estimating more than 600,000 spectators across the day.
The 22-year-old delivered multiple runs in the V8-powered car, with prolonged donuts and full-throttle demonstrations.
Colapinto also drove a replica Mercedes W196, the machine in which Juan Manuel Fangio secured his 1954 and 1955 world championships, pausing at points around the circuit to acknowledge fans packed along the route before finishing the day with a final lap aboard a support truck.
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Colapinto used the occasion to underline the scale of support behind a potential return of Argentina to the F1 calendar.
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“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.”
The scale of the event has only intensified discussion around a possible return of Formula 1 to Argentina, which last hosted a grand prix in 1998.
The Oscar y Juan Galvez Autodrome, visited by Colapinto earlier in the week, is already undergoing redevelopment ahead of hosting MotoGP from 2027, with long-term ambitions to bring F1 back into the picture.
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