Franco Colapinto is proof that F1 must expand its American horizons beyond the US

After Franco Colapinto joined Williams ahead of the 2024 US Grand Prix, the complexion of the paddock changed. Suddenly, everywhere you looked, you were inundated with the light-blue-and-white flag of Argentina, with fans chanting Franco’s name.

While so much of Formula 1’s recent focus has been on the United States, Colapinto’s massive popularity is proof that it’s high time for the sport to expand its horizons to include all of the Americas, not merely the USA.

Franco Colapinto highlights a missing link in Formula 1 marketing

For decades, American Formula 1 fans from the United States have been trying to convince the sport that they matter, but it was an uphill battle until the combination of COVID-19 and Netflix’s docuseries?Drive to Survive introduced a slew of new fans to the sport.

Practically overnight, US viewership skyrocketed, and the country became the hottest new destination for organizing F1 races.

But look below the southern border of the United States, and you’ll find a massive audience for Formula 1 — one that has gone under-appreciated for years, but that the presence of Franco Colapinto revitalized.

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Nielsen Sports reported in December of 2024 that the Latin American region now consists of 150 million F1 fans, compared to a measly 45 million in the United States. That’s out of a global total of 750 million fans, which includes growing audiences in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

And if you kept an eye on F1 this year, that was clear. While Logan Sargeant certainly inspired some national pride, his presence on the grid was nowhere near as celebrated as that of Franco Colapinto. Everywhere you looked — in Austin, Mexico, Brazil — there were Argentinian flags as far as the eye could see.

According to Will Buxton, ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, flights from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo were completely sold out ahead of Colapinto’s debut there.

In Austin, Colapinto told assembled media, including PlanetF1.com, that “I don’t see any Formula 1 driver that has as much support as I do from their fans.”

In Mexico, he reiterated that he was feeling the love in a way that transcended national boundaries.

“I think Formula 1 s now seeing how much they missed those Latino fans and those Argentinian fans, because they have been extremely insane,” he laughed. “In only a couple of races, they have gone completely crazy.

“It’s great to see so many Latinos all together. You can see maybe in other sports, there was some fights between Brazilians and Mexicans and Argentinians, but now in Formula 1, in motorsport, it looks like everyone is together, and there is no fight.

“It’s a step forward that we are doing as a society, all of us together, all the Latinos.”

With that kind of passion and such a sizable audience, it’s high time F1 turned its attention beyond merely the United States to instead focus on?all?of the Americas, particularly as Colapinto solidifies his future in the sport by taking on a reserve role with Alpine.

When it comes to the production of both culture and capital, it can be hard to turn away from the US; it is a country that demands to be seen and acknowledged, and F1 has rewarded its demands with three races within its borders.

But look beyond the US, and you’ll find millions of incredible, passionate fans from Latin American countries who would flock to tracks in Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, and more. It’s time to make sure they feel seen, too.

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