Organizers and Alpine estimated about 600,000 people turned out for Franco Colapinto’s road show in Buenos Aires, reviving calls for Argentina to return to the Formula One calendar for the first time since 1998. Branded as the Mercado Libre “Franco Colapinto Road Show Buenos Aires 2026,” the demonstration ran along a temporary, roughly 2 km street circuit on Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Sarmiento in Palermo. Organizers and local stakeholders called the turnout a clear signal that Argentina is ready to host a Grand Prix again.

The 22-year-old made two show runs in a 2012 Lotus E20 painted in Alpine livery and also drove a replica Mercedes W196 once piloted by Juan Manuel Fangio. He greeted supporters at multiple points along the route, performed donuts and posed beside displayed historic and V8-era cars. The event featured fan zones, live music and an Argentine Air Force fly-by.

Colapinto debuted with Williams in mid-2024, completed nine races for that team and later moved to Alpine. He is in his first full season with Alpine and scored his first points for the team at the Chinese Grand Prix. He is the second Argentine to race in F1 this century after Gaston Mazzacane. The mass turnout intensified interest from venues such as the Oscar y Juan Gálvez Autódromo, which has expressed ambitions to host F1 and is due to host MotoGP. Organizers said the turnout, dubbed the “Colapinto effect,” could provide the promotional momentum to influence decisions about reinstating the Argentine Grand Prix. Alpine issued a statement and staged the on-street spectacle, and the team sat fifth in the early Constructors’ standings as F1 prepared for the Miami Grand Prix.

David Coulthard sharply criticized Aston Martin’s decision to elevate Adrian Newey to team principal, calling the move a public relations “own goal” on the Up to Speed podcast. Coulthard, who worked with Newey at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, said he would not have pictured Newey in that leadership role and described Newey as a technically driven problem solver better suited to design work than the political and media-facing demands of a team principal. Coulthard added that Newey, now in his 60s, was unlikely to pursue those skills and questioned Lawrence Stroll’s public presentation of Newey as a partner and shareholder, saying the messaging raised doubts about whether the promotion would work.

Aston Martin promoted Newey after he designed the AMR26, but the team’s 2026 campaign has been hampered by Honda’s difficult return and severe engine vibrations that disrupted drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The move made Newey Aston Martin’s fourth different team principal in five years and formed part of wider leadership changes that included Andy Cowell’s move to chief strategy officer.

Newey is widely regarded as one of Formula 1’s greatest designers, with work that contributed to 14 drivers’ and 12 constructors’ titles and to Red Bull’s 2024 success. Coulthard questioned whether technical excellence alone would be sufficient to steer a team facing reliability and political challenges.

Fernando Alonso, 44, said he is not ready to retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2026, telling journalists at the Historic Grand Prix weekend in Monaco, “I hope it’s not my last season.” Competing in his 23rd season and out of contract at the end of the year, Alonso called the decision “a tough decision” and said “time will tell.” He earlier described 2026 as potentially his “last season” but said he still loves racing, expects to continue for at least another season and will keep assessing his options rather than making an immediate exit announcement.

Alonso’s uncertainty stems from Aston Martin’s difficult start to the 2026 season. The team’s new partnership with Honda under the 2026 regulations has been hampered by an underdeveloped Honda engine that has produced severe vibrations, causing physical problems for drivers and mechanical failures. More than half of Aston Martin’s performance deficit has been traced to the chassis, and technical setbacks, including Adrian Newey’s late arrival and wind-tunnel problems, left the program roughly four months behind schedule. Those issues have compounded Alonso’s frustration and left his future contingent on securing competitive machinery and negotiating a new contract.

Alonso is a two-time world champion with 32 Grand Prix wins and is the only driver in F1 history to start more than 400 races. Including junior years, he has raced continuously in top categories for about 27 years. Former driver David Coulthard said Alonso has “never stopped” being a child, suggesting a youthful mindset has driven his longevity. With limited options to replace him for 2027 and the possibility of team improvements or extra engine development leeway for Honda, observers say a swansong season remains possible if circumstances improve. Alonso also faces new personal considerations after his partner gave birth in March, which he has said factors into his timing.

Johnny Herbert urged Lewis Hamilton to be candid about any decline in competitiveness and to consider stepping aside when the time comes, speaking on the Stay On Track podcast. Herbert warned that the instinct which defines top drivers “is probably not going to be where it once was,” and he told Hamilton to accept when “it’s not quite where it was, and I’ve got to go.” Herbert framed the remarks as an honest request rather than a definitive prediction. Fellow veteran Damon Hill echoed those comments, saying Hamilton has “always done things his own way” and can “rest easy.”

Herbert argued that age and the rise of rivals can push champions toward a performance saturation point, and that having a young, fast teammate such as Charles Leclerc can accelerate that personal reckoning.

The context is clear: Hamilton, 41, is a seven-time world champion with 105 race wins, now in his second year at Ferrari after a difficult first season and a winless 2025. He experienced a 2026 resurgence in the Ferrari SF-26, secured his first Ferrari podium with P3 in China, and currently sits fourth in the 2026 drivers’ standings, seven points behind teammate Leclerc. Herbert’s comments added fuel to the ongoing debate about Hamilton’s future as he adapts to life at Ferrari and evaluates his competitive prospects. Hamilton has publicly signaled his determination to continue racing, and there has been no definitive announcement from him about retirement, leaving the matter framed as commentary and context around an illustrious career.