F1 IS SET TO RETURN TO ARGENTINA IN NEAR FUTURE
Last time Argentina hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix was in 1998. Back then, Esteban Tuero was the only representative of the nation. 28 years later, the popularity of Franco Colapinto could be the deciding factor in bringing F1 back to Buenos Aires.
Formula 1’s fast growing popularity means every nation wants a Grand Prix. Liberty Media is dealing with many nations for a Gran Prix in the near future. Among them, Argentina, Germany, Thailand, South Korea, Rwanda and South Africa.
What gives Argentina the almost certainty of coming back to the F1 calendar is the Colapinto effect. Since the Pilar-born driver made his debut with Williams at the end of 2024, he’s received a huge amount of support from his country. His showrun in Buenos Aires, last April, was attended by more than 600.000 aficionados. That’s even more than the best attended GP on the calendar (Silverstone, 564.000 fans).
The Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez was demolished in order to build a brand new, impressive infrastructure from scratch. The goal is tho have the circuit ready for both MotoGP next year and Formula 1 the year after. At the moment, the track is far from being ready, but the construction is going ahead as planned and it should reopen next March.
There are three possibilities for the return of the Argentine Grand Prix in Formula 1.
Three different possibilities
According to recent reports, Formula 1 asked Argentina to speed up construction of the Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez, so that it’s ready for April 2027. This would be necessary in case the conflict in Middle East goes on, meaning Argentina would be a candidate to replace either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia in the spring or Abu Dhabi or Qatar in the winter.
The circuit was originally scheduled to be prepared in two phases: the first in 2027 to obtain Grade A for MotoGP; the second in 2028 to obtain Grade 1 for Formula 1.
The 2028 calendar has already 24 slots booked, but Liberty Media is dealing with various promoters to host a GP in this season, as it’s understood a current circuit could lose its spot. Among the dealing nations there are Germany (whose return, sooner or later, has been confirmed by Domenicali), Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, South Korea, but Argentina should prevail thanks to the Colapinto effect.
It’s safe to say that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the 2029 calendar will feature Argentina. The track should be ready and Colapinto will almost certainly still be in F1. At the moment he’s negotiating a contract with Alpine, but, either way, he wouldn’t have any trouble finding another team. In fact, the support Colapinto is receiving means that, although it doesn’t look like it, his future in F1 is rock solid.
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