More than half a million people turned out in Buenos Aires on Sunday for a street motorsport spectacle starring Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto, according to event organizers. The 22-year-old Argentine driver, who currently races for Alpine, rekindled public calls for the championship to return to the country during the show.
Colapinto drove a 2012 Lotus E20 painted in Alpine’s colors, as well as a replica of the Silver Arrow that fellow Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio piloted in the 1950s. The young racer thrilled fans who packed grandstands, fan zones and sidewalks along a two-kilometer street circuit in the upscale Palermo neighborhood. He performed donuts until the Alpine single-seater caught fire, which was quickly brought under control.
“It started a fire, it burned,” he told a reporter as he waved to the crowd during the final parade lap. “They told me to take care of it, but I got a little carried away,” he joked.
Earlier, Colapinto had stirred the crowd by saying, “I hope this show shows Formula 1 what we can generate, and that we can have a Grand Prix in Argentina again,” sparking a standing ovation. The country last hosted a top-tier Grand Prix in 1998, a long absence that has frustrated local motorsport fans.
Colapinto will now shift focus to the resumption of the F1 world championship, where he sits in 16th place. The next race is scheduled for Miami the following Sunday.
