Argentina and Formula 1: A romance that turns 70

That saturday May 13 1950, when the F1 on the english circuit of Silverstone, the romance began between the Argentina and the one that has become the highest expression in motorsport. In fact, in that first race of the World Drivers Championship a compatriot participated: Juan Manuel Fangio.

Although he left due to a mechanical problem in his Alfetta, the Argentine had his revenge in the second round of the tournament, the Monaco Grand Prix. There he masterfully achieved the first of his 24 wins in the specialty.

The successes of the balcarceño in the new category produced an irresistible attraction that was deepened with his five titles of 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957. Also around that time a pilot from the Buenos Aires town of Arrecifes was in charge of making history. It was José Froilán González, who gave the first success to Ferrari by winning at the 1951 British Grand Prix. Pepe, who once again repeated his triumph with the Scuderia on the English track in 1954, thus became the hero of the category's emblematic team.

That idyll between Argentina and F.1 had its highest point in the 1954 season when Fangio and González topped the standings, something that was never repeated.

Although there were several other compatriots contemporaneous with Chueco and Cabezón, none of them repeated their victories. Those who were closest were Onofre Marimón, who ran eleven events and climbed to the last step of the podium twice (Belgium '53 and Great Britain '54); Carlos Menditeguy, who participated in a dozen races and the one who finished best was third (Argentina '57) and Roberto Mieres, who started 17 GP's and achieved three fourth places as the best result.

It was only in the '70s that love had a new chapter at the hands of Carlos Reutemann, the Argentine with the most GP's started with 146 and the second most winner behind Fangio with 12 successes. The Lole, in addition, was the last compatriot who fought for a title: that of 1981, which was finally left in the hands of the Brazilian Nelson Piquet.

And how to forget the sheer speed gatherings in the Buenos Aires racetrack, scene of 20 editions of the Argentine Grand Prix. The race on the Buenos Aires track had different periods: It was held consecutively between 1953 and 1958, in the middle of the golden era of Fangio. Then it was raced again in 1960. In the '70, already with Reutemann as the highest representative, the Argentine GP continued between 1971 (the race was without points) and 1975 and between 1977 and 1981. Then the Máxima returned in the '90 with four consecutive tests between 1995 and 1998.

In those Grand Prix there were moments of extreme happiness from the hand of the triumphs of Fangio in the editions of 1954, 1955, 1956 - shared with the Italian Luigi musso- and 1957. But also of absolute sadness, as when Reutemman left in the lead halfway from the checkered flag in 1974...

Although Formula 1 has been a dream for Argentines for years, a couple of times in the last decade that wish has almost come true. How to forget that 2010 when Jose Maria Lopez signed for the team USF1, which ended up being a fiasco; or when in 2012 an attempt was made to finalize a project for a street circuit in Mar del Plata ...

As it is Argentina and Formula 1 maintain a special romance. A romance that turns 13 this May 70.

THE ARGENTINES WHO RUN IN FORMULA 1

THE GREAT AWARDS OF ARGENTINA

(*) RACE WITHOUT POINTS