The Tourism Minister, Gustavo Santos has said that Argentine government is interested in hosting Formula One races in their country. The country last hosted a Formula One race back in 1998 after which financial troubles forced the organisers to drop the event.

Argentina targets return to Formula 1 calendar

The Buenos Aires Grand Prix was the main racing event that started in 1930. It was one of the first non-European countries to host Formula One race back in 1953. In 1991 a private set of firms purchased the Buenos Ares with the aim to upgrade the track. They managed to bring the race back on the Formula One calendar in 1994 however had to withdraw due to modernization process not being done in time. A race again was scheduled for 1999 but cancelled again.

The 2015 elections in Argentina saw a new president, Mauricio Macri come to power. He is keen to improve the international appeal and plans to attract foreign tourists to his country.

Santos said that the government is pushing ahead with the plans to bring the sport back into Argentina. He added that there are challenges such as high costs however the government is looking at strengthening the image and position the South American country internationally. Last year Bernie Ecclestone was reported talking to the Argentine ministers about the possibility of the sport returning.

The government is also trying to pitch for the 2030 Football World Cup along with Uruguay. Hence it is no surprise that Argentina is keen on the idea of being a part of the Formula One calendar. Many see Mexico’s return into the Formula One calendar in 2015 as a huge success for the country.

The potential threat for the Argentine organisers are the lack of drivers coming from their country. This in turn results in low sponsorship and hence increases burden on the government to shell out money and host the race.

Tags: Argentina, Bernie Ecclestone, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Grand Prix, F1, Formula One, Motorsport, Motorsports