Milei pushes for Argentine GP return with Colapinto

Argentine president Javier Milei has personally pushed Formula 1 and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to bring the Argentine GP back to Buenos Aires, declaring: "We want to see Colapinto in the country."

Milei made the appeal while opening the FIA American Congress in Buenos Aires, where Argentina’s ambitions to return to Formula 1 were specifically discussed with Ben Sulayem.

"Argentina has all the conditions necessary to once again welcome Formula One," Milei said.

"We have the tradition. We have the drivers. And now we are once again developing the institutional seriousness that these categories demand before choosing a country."

"We have absolutely everything."

He ended his appeal even more directly: "We want to see Colapinto in the country."

Argentina last hosted Formula 1 in 1998, but the campaign for a return is now backed by major redevelopment of the Oscar and Juan Galvez circuit in Buenos Aires.

The project is already around 60 percent complete and has been expanded beyond its original MotoGP brief specifically with Formula 1 in mind.

Buenos Aires mayor Jorge Macri said recently: "We made the decision to go ahead with the works required for F1, which are an access tunnel, a longer hairpin turn, and a different track."

"Formula 1 has been closely monitoring the progress of the construction," Macri said. "Franco Colapinto’s exhibition in Palermo helped us tremendously."

"There’s a real passion for motorsports here, and we have a great chance of bringing Formula 1 back."

The FIA itself confirmed that Ben Sulayem and Milei discussed "Argentina’s ambitions for the continued growth of motorsport, including Formula 1".