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Argentine drivers in international motorsport

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2026-09-27 20:23 UTC → 2026-09-28 04:47 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Argentine racing drivers have participated in high-profile international motorsport events while facing significant financial hurdles. In early September, drivers Franco Colapinto, Nicolás Varrone, and Mattia Colnaghi gathered in Madrid for a joint event titled ‘Acelerando el Futuro: Performance, Tecnología y Diplomacia Deportiva’. Organized by the Argentine Embassy in Spain, the meeting served to present Argentine talent in Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3 categories ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. Following these appearances, Varrone and Colapinto disclosed the economic difficulties associated with competing in top-tier categories. Varrone noted that his move to Formula 2 required sacrificing more lucrative contracts in endurance racing, stating, “I lost money racing in Formula 2.” Colapinto, who drove for Williams during the latter part of the 2024 season, reported that despite receiving 10,000 euros per race, the costs of traveling with family and management left him “literally losing money to race.” During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, competing for Alpine, Colapinto showed a trend of improvement across practice sessions, reaching Q3 in qualifying. However, his race ended prematurely following a collision during a restart; after locking his brakes, he struck teammate Pierre Gasly, an incident that also involved Lando Norris and resulted in a triple retirement. The FIA determined Colapinto was “total or predominantly responsible” for the incident, noting he braked too late and entered the corner at an uncontrollable speed. This error ended Colapinto’s 26-race streak of finishing races and resulted in a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix. The crash sparked paddock controversy; Lando Norris suggested drivers responsible for such collisions should face disqualification, ~~while Juan Pablo Montoya defended Colapinto’s aggressive attempt to seize an opportunity. Following the incident, Alpine condemned the online harassment~~ stating certain drivers “should not be in Formula 1.” Conversely, drivers such as Max Verstappen and ~~hate speech directed at~~ George Russell defended Colapinto, ~~stating~~ noting that ~~while~~ errors ~~occur, abusive behavior is unacceptable.~~ can happen to anyone.

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