Five Countries That Need F1 Races

Argentina

South America has put out many great racers over the years, and perhaps one of Formula One’s greatest drivers came from Argentina. Now, could the home of Juan Manuel Fangio return to the calendar after almost twenty years away?

The Argentine Grand Prix dropped from the F1 calendar in 1999, after running from 1995 to 1998 on a permanent course in Buenos Aires. In fact, all iterations of this race that ran as far back as 1953 ran on this circuit. Since then, there were rumblings of the race returning in 2012 and 2013, only to be just smoke with no fire. If the race were to make a comeback, the big move that would need to be made would be the search for a new home.

The old Buenos Aires facility would likely not meet F1’s standards for a track to race at. However, other options could exist in the country. The city has hosted the Formula E world championship on the streets of the capital for three seasons, and a similar setup could be found for Formula One. The question becomes whether or not the FIA would add another street course to the schedule, as they have hesitated to add more street races in addition to Monaco, Australia, Russia, and Singapore. The last rumored street circuit to be added was the Grand Prix of the Americas on the streets of Weehawken, New Jersey, which has yet to get off the ground.

What also remains to be seen is any geopolitical impacts within the region. Brazil has been experiencing economic and political issues that nearly impacted the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the running of this year’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Without assurances that the only current South American F1 race will continue, what would the future be of a potential second race there?

Plenty of questions need to be answered before a second race comes to South America.