Franco Colapinto Formula 1 showrun in Buenos Aires attracts over half a million people to the streets

On Sunday, April 27, 2026, an estimated 600,000 spectators lined a 2 km route along Avenida del Libertador in Buenos Aires to watch 22-year-old Franco Colapinto become the first Argentine to drive a Formula 1 car on the city's streets. Colapinto performed demonstration runs, burnouts, and donuts in a 2012 Lotus E20 as part of a promotional roadshow. The event also featured a demonstration run in a replica Mercedes Benz W196, the car associated with five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio, marking a historic return of F1 machinery to Argentina.