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Argentina interested in making Grand Prix bid

The Argentine government has confirmed that it is interested in bringing Formula One back to the country at some point in the near future.

Tourism Minister Gustavo Santos told Spanish news agency EFE that the government is keen to host a round of the Formula One World Championship calendar, and that the country would also be putting together a bid to stage the FIFA World Cup championship in 2030 in collaboration with Uruguay.

Argentina elected a new president, Mauricio Macri, in 2015. Santos said that it was the new government's intention to use the two events to promote the country's image in a concerted attempt to woo foreign tourists to spend time in Argentina.

"These are tests that have a cost and a complication, but we have decided to pursue this and other major events," Santos said this week, adding that such prestigious events would "strengthen our brand and positioning."

Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone noted at the end of last season that "We're talking to them and it can happen."

Argentina is no stranger to Formula One. Buenos Aires hosted 21 Grand Prix events in total from 1953 until 1998, all at the same autodrome in the Argentine national capital

Alberto Ascari won the inaugural race for Ferrari, and Juan Manuel Fangio won the next four times to become the all-time leading driver in terms of wins in Argentina.

Other victors in the event over the years included Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter and Mario Andretti.

The race was left off the calendar between 1982 and 1994. When it returned, Williams won a hat-trick of victories with Damon Hill (in 1995 and 1996) and Jacques Villeneuve (in 1997). The last Formula One driver to clinch the chequered flag in the country was Michael Schumacher in 1998.

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.