Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto made history on Friday as he became the first Argentine since Gastón Mazzacane in 2001 to partake in a Formula 1 Grand Prix. The Pilar native ran in Free Practice 1 at the 2024 British Grand Prix, testing the Williams F1 car, although he won’t be driving in the race on Sunday.

Under difficult conditions, as the track was still drying up after morning rains, the Argentine managed to complete 25 laps across the hour-long free practice. He ran with hard tyres and then tested the soft ones, two of the three tyre compounds available to F1 teams.

His best time was a 1:29.078, which put him in 18th in the time sheet, some 1.6 seconds away from the leader, McLaren’s Lando Norris. Colapinto’s time, however, was only 0.4 seconds behind the other Williams car, driven by regular driver Alexander Albon.

“It was great, the first FP1 of my life done,” an excited Colapinto told the Williams media team after the run. “It was an amazing moment for myself; I enjoyed every lap, every corner, and that’s what I’m most happy about.”

The Argentine admitted that while he was happy with his performance, he knew there were places where he could have improved his time. “I’m just delighted for the opportunity that Williams gave me and the support I got from the team; it’s been on another level,” he said. “I’m super proud of what we have achieved with the people who support me and I need to keep working. I want to arrive here in a few years and I think this is the way.” 

The Argentine was one of four young drivers who tested for F1 teams, with Isack Hadjar running for Red Bull, Ollie Bearman for Haas, and Jack Doohan for Alpine. It’s the second time the 21-year-old Pilar native has sat behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, after taking part in the “Rookie Test” at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit in November. 

Now Colapinto will take part in the F2 British Grand Prix, where he qualified fourth, just 0.4 seconds from Hadjar. The race will run on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. Argentine time.