F175 Official Launch, London O2 Arena

The official launch of the 2025 Formula 1 season at London’s O2 Arena was a triumph for the sport’s commercial team, a beautifully choreographed two hour stage presentation during which the ten teams, their cars and drivers were unveiled before a predictably adoring crowd.  If putting your customers centre stage is the goal of any successful business, Formula 1 could not have done more to ensure that its sponsors were given airtime, its fans entertained and broadcast partners provided with a large slice of pre-season content.

Jack Whitehall hosted the event with all the assurance of the seasoned comedian and actor that he is, well used to large audiences and tightly timed programming.  He even managed to bring a comic element to a sport which can sometimes take itself a little too seriously.  Treading a fine line throughout, he took the rise out of some, layered a little worship onto others, but maintained a pace and confidence which anchored the event.

Co-presenters Laura Winter, Lawrence Barretto and Ariana Bravo were excellent, familiar faces to the teams and drivers, well known to fans.  It was a nice touch to have Martin Brundle present 2024 Constructors’ World Champions McLaren. The man who has been the premier English language voice of F1 since 1997, famed for both his erudite commentary and wonderfully unpredictable grid walkabouts, is a fan favourite.

The staging was impressive, a no-expense-spared light show and digital display extravaganza with cars elevated on a giant plinth or driven effortlessly across the stage on a revolving platform.  Music was provided by Machine Gun Kelly, Kane Brown and Take That, along with a performance of Brian Tyler’s Are We Dreaming.  Producer Brian Burke, F1’s Executive Creative Director, brought his vast experience to bear in delivering a show worthy of the sport’s 75th anniversary year.

But the stars of this show were always going to be drivers, team principals and the machines which they will take into battle in Melbourne in just under 5 weeks time. The audience reaction acted as an audible barometer of who is popular, and who is not.  Fan favourites such as Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz Jr and Fernando Alonso attracted loud cheers, while team bosses Toto Wolff and Zak Brown generated plenty of reaction.

Oddly, Red Bull Racing’s drivers Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen did not speak, but Lawson was greeted very positively while Verstappen - conscious that this event is in England, and thus on the territory of his arch rivals - received a more subdued welcome. A pity, given his greatness.

It was inevitable that Britain’s superstar, Lewis Hamilton, would receive the loudest cheers. The seven times World Champion greeted his fans with the confidence and smiles we have come to expect when in front of a home crowd, clearly enjoying himself. Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc was also given a positive reception, leaving one to wonder how the relationship between these two will play out for both themselves and their fans as the season progresses.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the team presentations in front of their new McLaren MCL39 before all ten 2025 F1 cars and twenty drivers took to the stage in a grid lineup.  It was impressive to see, a tantalising view of what’s in store for the sport in the final season of the current regulations.

Extravagant car launches are nothing new to F1, of course.  At Jordan Grand Prix we were launching cars at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and in the Albert Hall in the company of Riverdance and Cirque du Soleil more than a quarter of a century ago.

But this is the first combined launch and, while some curmudgeonly purists will no doubt turn up their noses and specialist media bemoan the fact that the cars were far removed in detail from those which will hit the track, it was entirely in keeping with Liberty Media’s strategy of delivering Formula 1 as sports entertainment. It was designed to appeal to its new audiences and widespread popularity and to leverage the sport’s massive following on social media.

Formula 1, its owners and constituent teams, should be proud of the show they delivered.

Mark Gallagher, Performance Insights