Construction of the circuit was approved during the Perón government, and the track opened as Autódromo 17 de Octubre, named after the date of Loyalty Day that had become associated with Perón's political movement. Following Perón's overthrow in 1955, the circuit was redesignated Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires, and it was subsequently renamed again to Autódromo Municipal del Parque Almirante Brown de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires in the mid-1960s. In 1989, the circuit was renamed in honour of Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, and in 2008 the name was amended to include his brother Juan, becoming the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez in its current form. Oscar Gálvez lived from 1913 to 1989; Juan Gálvez from 1916 to 1963.
A defining characteristic of the Autódromo is the large number of alternative configurations available on the site, enabling different types of events to use different portions of the property. The most significant Formula One layouts were:
The No. 2 circuit, used for the Argentine Grand Prix from 1953 to 1960, formed the basis of the early Formula One visits. The No. 9 circuit, used from 1971 to 1973, represented the circuit's return to the world championship after a gap. The No. 15 layout, used from 1974 to 1981, was considered the fastest configuration and added two long straights along with a lengthy third corner often taken flat out at around 305 km/h; cars spent approximately 40 seconds at full throttle through the section. The No. 6 configuration, used from 1995 to 1998 with the S de Senna chicane rather than the Tobogán section, was the final Formula One layout and was not well received by the racing community.
Argentina hosted twenty Formula One World Championship rounds at this circuit across three distinct periods: 1953 to 1958 and 1960, 1972 to 1975 and 1977 to 1981, and 1995 to 1998. The Argentine Grand Prix was dropped from the calendar after 1981 primarily because Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982 created political circumstances that prevented the race from continuing, compounded by the simultaneous retirement of Carlos Reutemann after the 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix, removing Argentina's major racing star. The race returned in 1995 but the No. 6 layout lacked the dramatic character of earlier configurations, and financial difficulties ended the event's run after 1998.
Ten Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix races were held at the circuit between 1961 and 1999, using various configurations including the No. 2, No. 1, No. 8, and No. 6 layouts. The motorcycle Grand Prix is set to return to the circuit in 2027, with a major redevelopment programme aimed at bringing the track to FIA Grade 2 and FIM Grade 1 standards to accommodate MotoGP.
The 1000 km Buenos Aires, a prestigious endurance sports car event, was held at the Autódromo and on sections of surrounding highway between 1954 and 1960, and returned in 1970 to 1972 using only the circuit itself. The event was part of the World Sportscar Championship during these years.
The circuit has been a continuous hub of Argentine domestic motorsport since its opening. Turismo Carretera, the premier Argentine touring car category with roots stretching back to the 1930s, has raced at the Autódromo across much of its existence. TC2000, Top Race V6, Turismo Nacional, and Fórmula Nacional Argentina have all held regular rounds at the venue across decades of domestic competition. International series including the Stock Car Pro Series, TCR South America, and Formula 4 Argentina have also visited in recent years.
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