F1’s rising star Franco Colapinto is already being compared to Messi, but will the hype continue?

Stardom in Argentina is a unique cultural phenomenon, especially for the country’s professional athletes. In a country where sports are as passionately debated as politics and world affairs, people are more likely to be polarized than universally admired.

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

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

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

In Argentina that doesn’t matter. Colapinto flies the Argentine flag in one of the most visible sporting arenas in the world. Within a few months, he has captivated the nation. His youthful personality and approachability as a sought-after public figure have endeared him to his fellow countrymen, who do not always appreciate their idols.

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are both Argentine football kings, but they followed completely different paths to kingship. Maradona was a diamond in the rough, unearthed in the modest Villa Fiorito neighborhood of Buenos Aires. A national champion from an early age, the brash and outspoken Maradona would go from phenom to deity in Argentina after leading his national team to victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Maradona led Argentina to a World Cup trophy in 1986. (Archivo El Grafico, Getty Images)

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

Like Colapinto, who left Argentina to race at the age of 14, Messi’s formative years took place thousands of miles from his homeland. Despite Messi’s otherworldly talent, he had a distant relationship with the Argentinian public. He became a pariah and labeled a foreigner after losing four major finals with the national team. The press was Messi’s main enemy. He was banished 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 an example of how Argentinians measure success in sports. It’s not a cautionary tale for Colapinto, though.

In a football-mad country like Argentina (and throughout South America), F1 is a niche sport. It’s luxurious and virtually inaccessible – the cultural opposite of football.

Colapinto’s rise also coincided with one of the greatest moments for Argentine football. Previously portrayed as underachievers, Messi and his teammates have now reached new levels of celebrity. They are darlings of social media and popular culture. 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 climate.

(Peter Fox, Getty Images)

The timing was ideal for Colapinto. The Argentine press has already dubbed him a genius and a generational talent – ​​praise reserved at home for Maradona, Messi, former tennis star Gabriela Sabatini and NBA legend Emanuel Ginobili. Pundits have boldly said that Colapinto is the next Ayrton Senna.

The late Senna, an F1 icon, stands alongside Brazil’s greatest footballers, including Pelé, Zico and Ronaldo. In contrast, the hype surrounding Colapinto has become so intense that he is being compared to Messi in some media circles.

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

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

“There’s an air about him, he’s witty and laid-back, and he could give lessons on charisma and empathy to more than a few people. He has no ceiling,” Macias wrote.

He is certainly every marketer’s dream. Colapinto is a social media influencer who has quickly amassed over 3 million followers on Instagram. The trail of paparazzi following him around the world also seems to be growing. Of course, Colapinto is a football fan. He recently revealed that he supports Buenos Aires club Boca Juniors.

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

Carried away by the excitement, Scaloni said it was “very strange” to be distracted by something other than football.

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

Although he preferred not to name which players have contacted him, Colapinto said he has spoken with several current Argentina national team players about his current success. “It’s really big for the country, and they’re just enjoying the moment, and yeah, it’s great,” he said.

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

There is not a day when he is not part of the daily sports coverage in Argentina. He has signed sponsorship deals with Argentina-based companies such as YPF, an oil and gas conglomerate that also sponsors the national football team. Argentinian DJ and producer Bizarrap joined software company Globant and e-commerce company Mercado Libre to give Colapinto the financial backing he needed to compete in F1.

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

“Formula 1 now sees how much they miss those Latino fans and those Argentinian fans, because they have been extremely insane,” Colapinto told reporters before the race in Mexico City. “In just a few races they have gone crazy and the support they have is something I honestly haven’t seen from any other driver. It is special and unique.”

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

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

In Argentina, almost everything related to the furore surrounding Colapinto has gone viral on social media. After finishing 12th in Mexico (ahead of Perez and Fernando Alonso), cameras captured the Ferrari pit and watched the media and fan frenzy that now follows him on F1 Sundays.

“I love you, Franco!” a woman shouted. Diario Olé’s caption on a photo of the scene read: “The Ferrari team tries to understand the madness surrounding Colapinto.”

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

Colapinto has not returned home since he went from unknown amateur to cult hero in Argentina. When asked how he was adjusting to his new life as a megastar, he responded in typically modest terms.

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

Colapinto has yet to win anything in a sport defined by pole positions, top speeds and eternal championships. His future in F1 is also uncertain, as he is not guaranteed a drive at Williams next season. Nevertheless, Colapinto is enjoying a wave of attention in Argentina that comes with Messi’s praise.

Argentina has the best national football team in the world, which has led to continued commemoration by the press of its recent achievements. From a sporting perspective, things are as good as they’ve ever been.

Will Colapinto continue to benefit from this newfound praise or will his star rise on the back of 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)