Franco Colapinto Road Show — F1 demo

Franco Colapinto is set to drive a Formula 1 car through central Buenos Aires on Sunday, April 26, turning Palermo into a temporary street circuit. (formula1.com) The Alpine driver will run a 2012 E20 car with a Renault V8 engine on Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Sarmiento, where organizers have planned two official show runs on a 2-kilometer course. (buenosaires.gob.ar) City officials later expanded the route south, extending the Libertador section from the area near República de la India to the Casares and Ugarteche crossings, while keeping a stretch on Sarmiento between Figueroa Alcorta and Libertador. (buenosaires.gob.ar) Organizers and Formula 1 describe the event as the first time an Argentine driver will take an F1 car onto the streets of Buenos Aires. City officials also say it will be the first Formula 1 car to run in Buenos Aires in 14 years. (formula1.com) (buenosaires.gob.ar) The road show lands in a gap between Formula 1 race weekends, with the series scheduled to resume at the Miami Grand Prix on May 1-3, 2026. That timing gives Alpine and the city a high-profile window for a demonstration built around Argentina’s best-known current F1 driver. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) Colapinto is now listed by Formula 1 as an Alpine driver for 2026 after joining the team from Williams, a shift that has kept Argentine interest in the series unusually high over the past year. (formula1.com) The city and Alpine are packaging the day as more than a short demo lap session. Official announcements say the event will include a free public viewing area, paid fan zone and grandstand sections, hospitality access, entertainment activations, a fan forum and music acts. (buenosaires.gob.ar) (alpinef1.com) Traffic disruptions are already part of the rollout. Buenos Aires published lane and street closures in Palermo starting Wednesday, April 22, with full and partial restrictions around Iraola, Sarmiento and Libertador as the circuit and main stage are assembled ahead of Sunday’s show. (buenosaires.gob.ar) For Buenos Aires, the pitch is a one-day city spectacle; for Colapinto, it is a homecoming in front of local fans. “Driving at home in a Formula 1 car will be one of the most special moments of my life,” he said when Alpine announced the event. (alpinef1.com)