Stardom in Argentina is a unique cultural phenomenon, particularly for the country’s professional athletes. In a nation where sport is debated as passionately as politics and world affairs, one is more likely to be polarizing than universally admired.

Which is why the story of rising Formula 1 star Franco Colapinto is unique.

The 21-year-old Argentine replaced Williams’ American driver Logan Sargeant in August. Since then, Colapinto has experienced a constant whirlwind as one of F1’s most popular newcomers. His best finish was eighth place at September’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He was the first South American in F1 history to finish in the top 12 in his first three races.

But even a casual observer of F1 knows that Colapinto is still many miles away from breaking into its aristocracy.

In Argentina, that matters not. Colapinto is flying the Argentina flag in one of world sport’s most visible arenas. He has captivated the nation within a few months. His youthful personality and approachability as a sought-after public figure have endeared him to his countrymen and women, who don’t always appreciate their idols.

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are both Argentine football royalty but took wildly different paths to kingship. Maradona was a diamond in the rough, unearthed from the humble Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa Fiorito. A people’s champion from an early age, the brash and unapologetically outspoken Maradona would go from phenom to deity in Argentina after leading his national team to glory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Messi, meanwhile, was discovered on the dirt pitches of Rosario, 300km from capital Buenos Aires, as a pre-teen with local club Newell’s Old Boys. He was quickly spotted by an agent who connected Messi’s family with decision-makers at leading Spanish club Barcelona. At 13, Messi moved from Rosario to Europe, etching his own story into the annals of world football while away from home.

Like Colapinto, who left Argentina for Italy at 14 to pursue racing, Messi’s formative years took place thousands of miles from his homeland. Despite Messi’s unworldly talent, he had a distant relationship with Argentina’s public. He became a pariah, labeled a foreigner after losing four major finals with the national team. The press was Messi’s principal nemesis. He was ostracized before he was idolized.

Today, Messi is revered as a resilient legend after leading Argentina to the World Cup title two years ago and back-to-back Copa America trophies in 2021 and 2024. His transformation is now a case study of how Argentines measure success in sports. It’s not a cautionary tale for Colapinto, though.

In a football-crazed country such as Argentina (and throughout South America), F1 is a niche sport. It’s luxurious and virtually unattainable — the cultural opposite of football.

Colapinto’s ascension has also coincided with one of the greatest moments for Argentine football. Previously vilified as underachievers, Messi and his teammates have reached a new level of celebrity. They are social media and popular culture darlings. Once easy targets for criticism, national-team players are now routinely celebrated and defended by the press. Their success united the country and softened a notoriously toxic media environment.

(Peter Fox, Getty Images)

The timing has been ideal for Colapinto. The Argentine press has already referred to him as a genius and a generational talent — plaudits that have been reserved back home for Maradona, Messi, former tennis star Gabriela Sabatini and NBA legend Emanuel Ginobili. Pundits have audaciously said that Colapinto is the next Ayrton Senna.

The late Senna, an F1 icon, sits rightfully alongside Brazil’s greatest footballers, including Pelé, Zico and Ronaldo. By contrast, the hype has intensified around Colapinto so much that, in some media circles, he has been compared to Messi.

“I don’t think I’m anywhere near Leo Messi,” Colapinto recently told the Fast and the Curious podcast. “He’s at another level and I cannot believe that people compare me to Leo. I’m like ‘What’s wrong with you?’.”

Diario Olé columnist Diego Macias described Colapinto as “the ideal combo”.

“There’s a vibe about him, he’s witty and laid back, and he could give lessons on charisma and empathy to more than a few people. He doesn’t have a ceiling,” Macias wrote.

He certainly is a marketer’s dream. Colapinto is a social media influencer who has quickly amassed more than 3million followers on Instagram. The trail of paparazzi that follows him around the world seems to grow, as well. Naturally, Colapinto is a football fan. He revealed recently that he supports Buenos Aires club Boca Juniors.

At the Italian Grand Prix in September, Colapinto’s F1 debut, hordes of fans waving Boca and Argentina jerseys showed up to support him. Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni told reporters on the day of the race that he was watching Colapinto compete at Monza on a split screen alongside an English Premier League match.

Swept along by the excitement, Scaloni said it was “very strange” to have been distracted by something other than football.

“It’s exciting for Argentines to have a driver, and for him to have done it the way he did: the crowd in Monza with the flags, the fans going wild… I congratulate him. We’re proud to have a Formula 1 driver in the top category,” said Scaloni.

Although he preferred to not name which ones have reached out to him, Colapinto said that he has spoken to several current Argentina national-team players about his current success. “It’s very big for the country, and they are just enjoying the moment, and yes, it’s great,” he said.

It’s been a steady climb towards the mainstream for Colapinto.

There isn’t a day that he isn’t part of Argentina’s daily sports coverage. He has earned sponsorship deals from Argentina-based companies such as YPF, an oil and gas conglomerate that also sponsors the national football team. Argentine DJ and producer Bizarrap joined software firm Globant and e-commerce company Mercado Libre to provide Colapinto with the financial backing he needed to compete in F1.

Colapinto is innocently brash. He has good looks, is media-friendly and has shown courage on the track. That is the ideal combo in today’s sporting landscape, where athletes are their brand. Before the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend, Colapinto was featured in a humorous race-inspired ad for Mercado Libre. He also graced the cover of Forbes magazine’s Mexico edition on the eve of the race.

“Formula 1 is now seeing how much they miss those Latino fans and those Argentine fans, because they have been extremely insane,” Colapinto told reporters before the race in Mexico City. “In only a couple of races, they have gone crazy and the support that they have, I honestly haven’t seen it in any other driver. It’s special and unique.”

Even if he does not yet have a guaranteed F1 seat for the 2025 season, in Argentina, he has become just as popular as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. In Latin America, Colapinto joins Mexican driver Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez as the bearers of the region’s rich history with F1.

“What a lot of us believed in the past was that it was impossible for an Argentine driver to get to Formula 1,” Colapinto said. “It’s great to see so many Latinos all together. You can see in other sports there was some fighting between the Brazilians and the Mexicans and Argentinians but now in Formula 1, in motorsport, it looks like everyone is together and everyone is supporting me, like the Brazilians, the Mexicans and the Argentinians.”

In Argentina, almost everything associated with the furor surrounding Colapinto has gone viral on social media. After he finished 12th in Mexico (ahead of Perez and Fernando Alonso), cameras captured the Ferrari pit watching the media and fan frenzy that now follows him on F1 Sundays.

“I love you, Franco!,” one woman screamed. Diario Olé’s caption on a photo of the scene read, “The Ferrari team trying to understand the craziness around Colapinto.”

Last week, a popular restaurant in Buenos Aires added Colapinto to its menu. El Antojo (The Craving) has become known for shaping its milanesa, a breaded beef cutlet that is the unofficial national dish of Argentina, into the likeness of celebrities. Messi and Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez, as well as former national-team winger Angel Di Maria, have previously been honored in breadcrumbs.

Colapinto has not returned home since going from an unknown amateur to a cult hero in Argentina. Asked how he is adjusting to his new life as a megastar, he replied in typically humble terms.

“It’s been a lot, and luckily I haven’t gone to Argentina yet, so I don’t know how it’s down there, but from what I hear it’s going a bit crazy,” he said. “I love the support that I get.”

Colapinto hasn’t won anything yet in a sport defined by pole positions, top speeds and perennial championships. His future in F1 is also uncertain, as he is not guaranteed a drive with Williams next season. Nevertheless, Colapinto is riding a wave of attention in Argentina that is coexisting with Messi’s acclaim.

Argentina has the world’s best national football team, which has led to an ongoing commemoration by the press of its recent accomplishments. From a sporting perspective, things are as good as they have ever been.

Will Colapinto continue to benefit from this newfound praise or will his star rise based on consistent sporting merit? One thing is certain: Argentina’s hunger for more trophies is matched only by their passion for sporting prestige.

Luke Smith contributed to this story. 

(Top photo: Joe Portlock / Getty Images)