Formula 1 kicked off its 75th anniversary season with the F1 75 Live event at London’s O2 Arena, marking the first time the series has hosted a large-scale launch instead of individual team presentations. Lewis Hamilton arrived wearing a Ferrari-red tie as all 20 drivers and 10 teams gathered for the televised two-hour show, which featured musical performances from Kane Brown, Take That, and Machine Gun Kelly. Teams unveiled their 2025 liveries, though they are not required to reveal their actual race cars, allowing them to hold separate launch events as McLaren and Williams did last week.

F1 75 Live at The O2 host and global music line-up announced – Formula One World Championship Limited

The event reflects F1’s push to expand beyond its core sports audience, leveraging high-profile races in Miami and Las Vegas, the popularity of Drive to Survive on Netflix, and the upcoming Brad Pitt-led F1 film set for release in June. “To have this many fans out shows that we bring the sport together away from the racetrack,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who credited the Netflix series and the upcoming film for raising awareness of F1.

Drivers generally welcomed the new launch format, though Fernando Alonso noted it could be a “little bit of a distraction” as teams finalize their preparations. Preseason testing begins next week at the Bahrain International Circuit, leading up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.