The circuit was originally inaugurated as the Autódromo 17 de Octubre — named after Argentina's Loyalty Day — and was later renamed the Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires after Perón's overthrow in 1955. The site in Villa Riachuelo, the southernmost neighborhood of Buenos Aires, was chosen for its flat, open land, and the resulting facility featured large grandstands from which most spectators could see the entire circuit. The name recognizing the Gálvez brothers was officially adopted in 1989 and updated in 2008 to include both brothers.
The circuit is notable for the exceptionally large number of layouts that have been used across its history. Some configurations incorporate the twisty infield section that significantly tightens lap times, while others bypass it entirely, producing much faster laps and very different racing characteristics.
The Argentine Grand Prix first appeared on the Formula One World Championship calendar in 1953, making the Buenos Aires circuit one of the earliest venues in the championship. Formula One used several distinct configurations at this venue over the years:
The No. 2 circuit was used from 1954 to 1960.
The No. 9 layout hosted the grand prix from 1971 to 1973.
The very fast No. 15 configuration was employed from 1974 to 1981. This layout added two long straights and a sweeping third corner that cars navigated at approximately 305 km/h (190 mph), often on the brink of losing control. Drivers could remain flat out for around 40 consecutive seconds through the section, providing spectacular viewing for grandstand spectators.
The twisty No. 6 configuration, featuring the S de Senna chicane rather than the Tobogán sequence, was used for the final era of grands prix from 1995 to 1998.
The Argentine Grand Prix was absent from the calendar from 1982, when it was dropped partly due to Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands and the simultaneous sudden retirement of Carlos Reutemann — a local hero — after the 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix. The race returned in 1995 but lost its place again after 1998, when funding could no longer be secured to stage the event. Ambitions to restore it to the calendar have resurfaced periodically, with a major redevelopment program targeting FIA Grade 2 homologation in preparation for a potential MotoGP return in 2027.
Beyond Formula One, the circuit served as the venue for the 1000 km Buenos Aires sports car race, which ran from 1954 to 1960 using sections of the adjacent Autopista General Pablo Riccheri highway in addition to the circuit itself, and again from 1970 to 1972 using the Autódromo layouts alone. The event was part of the World Sportscar Championship during several of those years.
Ten Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix races were staged at the circuit between 1961 and 1999 under various configurations. The venue has also been a long-running host of the Buenos Aires Grand Prix for national championships, running almost continuously from 1952 through 2009 under different series regulations.
The Autódromo has been a centerpiece of Argentine domestic motorsport for more than seven decades. Series including Turismo Carretera, TC2000, Turismo Nacional, and Top Race V6 have held regular rounds at the circuit, cementing its status as the beating heart of Argentine racing culture. Stock Car Pro Series and TCR South America have added international presence in more recent years.
The circuit's capacity of approximately 45,000 spectators and its grandstand geometry — surrounding the flat circuit and offering panoramic sightlines — have made it a popular destination for large motorsport events and, since 2007, major music festivals including Creamfields editions that brought acts such as The Chemical Brothers, Deadmau5, and Calvin Harris to the venue.
Named across six different official identities over its history, the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez stands as the oldest continuously operating major racing circuit in South America and remains the central venue for Argentine motorsport.