The year in which Argentine drivers made people talk in world motorsports

Argentina is a country “further away“like few others. A country with an enormous development of national motorsports and many divisions that liven up the calendar. But also export talents that nourish motor sport championships abroad. And in 2023 The Argentine drivers lived a season of strong emotions on road courses and international circuits.

In single-seaters or cars with roofs, there were albiceleste standard bearers on four wheels in some of the most important categories and in other less known ones. The two that most engaged and mobilized the Argentine fan were Agustín Canapino y Franco Colapinto.

Canapino embarked on a different challenge. At 33 years old, the man from Reef, four-time champion of the TChe was encouraged to leave his world, that of touring cars, and got into a monoposto from the Juncos Hollinger Racing team, also from Argentina. Ricardo Juncosto run in the difficult and demanding IndyCar United States. And in a completely different category than what he was used to, the Titan surprised everyone about cars that can reach 350 kilometers per hour.

At the wheel of a car from a new team in formation, he at times overshadowed some more experienced drivers, such as his own teammate. Callum Ilott. He had the pleasure of running the Indianapolis 500, in which he had to abandon due to an accident. He closed with his best performance, in Laguna Seca, in which he was in a position to fight for the victory (he was third), but he was left without a chance due to a contact with Ilott shortly before the end. He finished the championship in 21st place in a table with 37 competitors and as the second best rookie, behind the New Zealander Marcus Armstrong.

“Going to IndyCar was an act of unconsciousness, but how could I say no. And it was a great hunch from Ricardo, who really took a chance and trusted me. It could have gone wrong, but it turned out a thousand times better than I expected. I expected and I am happy with the first year I had,” he reflected in a conversation with the site Champions.

With his seat secured for 2024 – and new partner, the Frenchman Romain Grosjean– and after closing his time in the TC, the Reef native will focus fully on IndyCar next year. “I am confident that it will be a better year, without expecting miracles. We cannot expect to fight head-to-head in all the races against the large structures, but we can continue to grow. And with Grosjean in the team, it gives us another expectation,” he commented.

Who also lived a dream 2023 and will face 2024 with enormous enthusiasm is Colapinto. The 20-year-old from Pilar was one of the great protagonists of the 2023 championship of the Formula 3. In his second season in that category and with a car from MP Motorsport, added two victories and five podiums and had a chance of being runner-up until the last date, although he finished fourth. That great performance allowed him to be promoted to the Formula 2 and opened the door to fulfill a dream.

At the end of November, days after debuting in the category in which he will race next year with the same team, Colapinto got on a Formula 1. The Buenos Aires native, who at the beginning of the year had joined the Pilots Academy of Williams, drove the British team’s FW45 in the postseason rookie trials in Abu Dhabi. And he was the first Argentine to drive a car from the Great Circus in an official session after 20 years.

Not only that. He managed to cover more than 300 kilometers, for which he obtained the Super License that enables him to race in the premier category. And he completed his session with the tenth fastest time, ahead of much more experienced drivers, including some members of the F1 grid, such as the Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine), the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (Alpha Tauri) and Thai Alex AlbonWilliams’ starting driver.

“It was unique. Crazy. An unforgettable moment. I have no words to explain what it was like to get into a Formula 1 for the first time. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was very young.“he commented.

And he added: “At the end of last year I did not expect to be here, experiencing this. Racing F2 on the weekend, having this possibility at Williams… So many things happened in such a short time that it was quite a shock. “Next year I have to do well in Formula 2 and have good results, because that is what is going to bring me back to F1.”

In it Endurance World Cup two Argentines shone. One, an old acquaintance: Jose Maria Lopez. Pechito he was again the main actor in the class Hypercarthe most important of the WEC, in which he also raced Esteban Guerriericon Vanwall Vandervell.

Next to Mike Conway y Kamui Kobayashihis colleagues Toyota #7, the Cordoban arrived at the last date in Bahrain with four victories in the season and many chances of winning the title. He needed to win that last race, but he was second and became runner-up, behind the other car from the Japanese team, which they drove Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley y Ryō Hirakawa.

“It was an incredible year for the team, with a great performance from everyone. The two crews pushed each other in every race, but we have always worked together as a team, which is the most important thing. As for our car, we had a good year with a lot to celebrate, so I am very happy to have been part of it,” he commented Pechito.

López, who won two titles in the World Endurance Championship, in 2019/2020 and in 2021 (with celebration in the mythical 24 Hours of Le Mans), will face a new challenge next year. Because he will leave Hypercar and, still linked to Toyota, he will go on to lead the team Akkodis ASP of the demanding new category of the WEC, the LMGT3.

The other Argentine who stood out in that championship was Nicolas Varronewho was crowned in the class LMGTE Am, the one with the lowest weight in the WEC. The native of Ingeniero Maschwitz won the title with a car from Corvette Racingalong with the American Ben Keating and to Dutch Nicky Catsburg, in his first season in the category. The trio won three races: Sebring, Portimão and the legendary Le Mans event.

“It’s still very crazy for me. It changed my life a lot. It’s a race that every driver dreams of winning and there are super drivers cracks who try all their lives and don’t succeed. And having achieved it at 22 years old makes it super special,” he told Clarín shortly after that historic victory.

The celebration left them one step away from the title, which they secured by finishing fourth on the following date, in Monza. Varrone and his teammates were on the podium on five of the seven dates, with three wins and two second places. And the Buenos Aires native, who will run in 2024 in the IMSAthe main category of endurance from the United States, became the fourth Argentine driver to win a world championship, after Juan Manuel Fangio (five times in Formula 1), Gabriel Pozzo (World Rally Group N) and Pechito (three World Tourism Championship titles and two WEC titles).

The Cordovan Nestor Girolami finished sixth in the World Tourism with a Honda Civicafter achieving a victory (in August in La Pedrera de Villa Mercedes, San Luis) and also adding four second places.

A special case is that of Sacha Fenestrazborn in France but from Cordoba at heart (he spent the first years of his life and started driving in Santa Catalina, near Colonia Caroya), who played his first season in the Formula Ethe most important category of electric cars, as part of the team Nissan E Team. That first championship, in which he finished 16th, he ran under the French flag, but he already received the license to compete in the 2024 championship with the albiceleste. He is now waiting for his Argentine passport to be issued to receive the final OK of the FIA and fulfill his dream of representing Argentina.

There were also compatriots cheering on minor competitions. Franco Girolamibrother of Néstor, was crowned champion of the Touring Car Racing (TCR) of Italy. AND Luciano Martineza man from Buenos Aires who is a mechanic for his own car so he can race abroad, was 16th in his first year in the Formula 4 USA.

In recognized championships and minor categories, national talent had a great 2023 in international motorsports. And it promises a 2024 of even stronger emotions.