This was the week that turned Argentine motorsport history upside down. Three separate episodes that connected to each other perfectly: on April 26, 600,000 wild fans on the streets of Buenos Aires to watch Franco Colapinto; one week later, Lionel Messi in the Miami paddock; and a 22-year-old driver's best ever finish in Formula 1.

Let's get straight to it — Colapinto took P7 at the Miami Grand Prix. For an Alpine driver, that's not just a result, it's his best ever in Formula 1. And watching all of it from above was the man whose name is practically a religion in Argentina.

ANTONELLI'S THIRD AND MCLAREN'S RETURN

The race, purely from a sporting angle, was Kimi Antonelli's show. Mercedes' 19-year-old Italian prodigy sealed his third consecutive victory. But you can't call it "absolute domination" — Antonelli lost the lead on the very first lap when Charles Leclerc got past him at Turn 1. He took it back on lap 4, lost it again to Norris and Verstappen, then grabbed it one more time. This was a win — but a survival act, not a procession.

Behind Antonelli, a real war was raging. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out P2 and P3 on the podium. McLaren's updated MCL40 looks like it's back in the game. Norris winning the sprint and now a double podium made one thing clear — in the second half of the season, Mercedes won't be running alone.

Charles Leclerc crossed the line in sixth in his Ferrari, but a 20-second post-race penalty for repeatedly cutting track limits on the final lap dropped the Monegasque to eighth. It was that penalty that bumped Colapinto up to seventh.

COLAPINTO'S STRATEGY AND ALPINE'S POINTS

The 22-year-old Argentine showed serious racecraft on track. He ditched the standard strategy, delayed his single pit stop deep into the middle of the race, and at one point was running as high as fourth. By the time Leclerc got penalised, Colapinto was already ahead of both Williams cars — Sainz and Albon.

Colapinto's race wasn't without its scares either — on the first lap, he made contact with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 11. Hamilton's car picked up sidepod and floor damage, and the Brit had to drag a wounded machine through the entire race. The stewards ruled it a racing incident.

Those 6 points are like oxygen for Alpine. The French team entered the 2026 season with a new Mercedes power unit and it was clear from the start they had potential. After picking up their first point in China, P7 in Miami is a serious statement. On the other hand, Colapinto's teammate Pierre Gasly didn't finish — he ended up in the barriers after contact with Liam Lawson that flipped his car. One driver seventh, the other in the medical centre — Alpine's week had two very different faces.

WHEN MESSI WALKS INTO THE PADDOCK

And here we get to the main story. On Sunday morning, before the race start, a man walked into the paddock who stopped everything. Lionel Messi, together with Antonela Roccuzzo and all three sons, arrived at the Miami Grand Prix as a guest of Mercedes — on the same day as Inter Miami's match (a 4-3 loss to Orlando City).

In the Mercedes garage, Messi sat in Antonelli's W17, watched the team's technical preparations up close. But the most emotional moment happened elsewhere — when he met Colapinto. F1's cameras caught it instantly: the 38-year-old World Cup winner embracing Argentine motorsport's new hope.

Colapinto told ESPN: "Everyone was warming up and I was standing there in jeans taking photos and talking with Leo. We need to bring him to every race."

Messi stayed at the stadium until the end of the race, celebrated Colapinto's finish and congratulated Antonelli on his victory in Mercedes' hospitality area. His sons — Thiago, Mateo and Ciro — were all wearing Mercedes gear. That was part of a brand partnership — Messi is linked to Mercedes and IWC through an advertising deal.

THE STREETS OF BUENOS AIRES — 600,000 PEOPLE FOR ONE CAR

This energy didn't start in Miami. Exactly one week earlier, on April 26, on a temporary 2-kilometre street circuit set up in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Colapinto put on a proper show.

He took the 2012 Lotus E20 — repainted in Alpine colours — through the streets. Then came the legendary replica — Juan Manuel Fangio's championship-era Mercedes W196. 600,000 people on the streets — according to Motorsport.com, that number exceeds the attendance of many actual Grands Prix.

"We are the best fans in the world. Argentina deserves to return to the Formula 1 calendar," Colapinto said.

WILL THERE BE AN ARGENTINE GRAND PRIX?

Argentina last hosted Formula 1 in 1998. Twenty-eight years have passed since then. But the picture is changing now. Buenos Aires' legendary Oscar y Juan Galvez Autodrome is undergoing serious reconstruction and has already secured the right to host MotoGP from 2027.

The message to Stefano Domenicali and F1's bosses has already been sent. 600,000 fans on the streets, Colapinto in the top ten and Lionel Messi in the paddock — Argentine motorsport has kicked the door down. The rest is just a matter of time and money.