Argentina's national football team coach, Lionel Scaloni, shared his passion for motorsports and expressed his pride in seeing fellow Argentine Franco Colapinto make his debut last Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix.

During a press conference at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) headquarters in Ezeiza, on the eve of the Argentina-Chile match, part of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Scaloni spoke about the Williams driver, who finished with a commendable 12th place on September 1st at the Monza circuit.

"It’s exciting for Argentines to have a driver, and for him to have done it the way he did: the crowd in Monza with the flags, the fans going wild... I congratulate him. We’re proud to have a Formula 1 driver in the top category," Scaloni remarked.

The coach, who lives in Mallorca, mentioned that he understood the 21-year-old driver also resides on the Mediterranean island and that they share several hobbies. "I’ve never had the chance to meet him... He rides bikes too, so we have a few things in common, including our passion for cars," he added.

Amused by the anecdote, Scaloni recounted that on Sunday, already back in Argentina for the team’s training camp, he experienced "something very strange" as he found himself watching Colapinto’s race at Monza on a split screen while also following a Premier League football match.

Colapinto, who finished 12th in his Formula One debut at the Italian Grand Prix, said at Monza that he was "very happy" to have "completed" the race and that he "would never" forget it.

The driver, the first Argentine in Formula 1 in 23 years, is also a big football fan, and before his World Championship debut, he was greeted by Argentine fans with chants celebrating Boca Juniors, the team he supports.