Franco Colapinto details emotional Lionel Messi moment before F1 Miami GP

Alpine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto has opened up about the “special” moment he met Argentine footballer Lionel Messi ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

The countrymen met at Inter Miami’s training ground after Colapinto revealed during an F1 exhibition run in Buenos Aires that he would love to meet Messi. The pair was joined by Messi’s team-mate Rodrigo de Paul.

“I don’t know. I think it’s a really busy race. They have a match on Saturday afternoon. It was a very special moment. It was something I had dreamt of all my life. If you ask any Argentinian who they want to meet, it’s Leo. I had the chance,” Colapinto told Motorsport.com and other media in Miami.

“I wanted, of course, for a very long time to meet him. But I didn’t have the chance. No cameras, no marketing. Just me, him and Rodrigo [De Paul], the three of us chatting. Having a nice conversation outside of sport and more personal. It was something I always dreamt of.

“Just having the opportunity of meeting him and having his time was a very special moment.”

Colapinto previously gifted one of his race helmets to the footballer in June 2025, with “Thanks for so much joy and so many lessons. All the best,” written on the edge of the helmet’s visor. The 22-year-old driver is, as you can guess, a huge fan of the team, and has been seen wearing the Argentine team Boca Juniors jersey multiple times in the past.

The Alpine driver currently sits 16th in the 2026 drivers’ standings after the first three rounds, earning one point at the Chinese Grand Prix. In comparison, his team-mate Pierre Gasly is eighth with 15 points.

The F1 season resumes with the Miami Grand Prix after a five-week break due to the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix.

Photos from Miami GP – Thursday