Argentina’s president Javier Milei says the country is ready to host the Formula 1 world championship again.
Milei made the claim while opening the FIA American Congress in Buenos Aires.
“The Automovil Club Argentino has made an enormous contribution to national motorsport, and Argentina is a country that loves cars,” said Milei. “The Argentine passion for racing is timeless.
“That is why I invite you to dream with me. Argentina has all the conditions necessary to once again welcome Formula One and the World Rally Championship onto its calendar.
“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.”
Report: Earlier proposal for a new Buenos Aires track layoutFranco Colapinto became Argentina’s first Formula 1 driver since 2001 when he joined the series two years ago. Alpine recently extended his contract to drive for them again next year.
Colapinto’s huge popularity in Argentina was demonstrated when he performed a demonstration run in Buenos Aires before hundreds of thousands of fans in April.
Last week the FIA condemned the abuse of its stewards after being inundated with complaints on social media from Colapinto’s supporters over two penalties he received in the previous round. The FIA did not mention Colapinto by name.
Argentina last hosted the world championship in 1998. F1 first visited the country in the fifties when Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio won his home grand prix four times on his way to claiming a then-record five world championship titles.
All 20 Argentinian grands prix took place at the Autodromo de Buenos Aires Oscar y Juan Galvez. A plan to redevelop the circuit and bring it up to F1 standards was proposed in 2017, but did not go ahead.
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Published by
Keith Collantine