Written by DIVEBOMB’s F1 team, Edited by Sasha Macmillen
Formula One’s 75th season kicked off with a bang at the O2 Arena in London, with a first-ever collective livery launch at which all 10 teams and 20 drivers were in attendance. Our writers weigh in on whether F1 75 Live met their expectations, and ultimately, whether the event can be considered a success.
Too much show, not enough F1 – Maria Fashchevskaya
At first, I was smitten with the idea of a general livery launch and season-opening show for 2025. As expected, many celebrities were in attendance, and Jack Whitehall proved a humorous host throughout, offering numerous comedic moments and roasts.
While some jokes worked well, others were more cringe and resulted in some awkward moments. As for the show itself, it felt as if some musical acts were not placed at the right time in the show, as they dragged on, interrupting the highlights of the evening – the livery reveals.
As Whitehall mentioned early on, many liveries were also identical to those of last season, and the Racing Bulls livery has similarities to one designed by the senior Red Bull team for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix. Although I like the new colour scheme of Ferrari, other liveries didn’t spring such pleasant surprises.
Aside from the liveries, the short videos introducing the teams were a much-welcome addition. It helped to show some of the history and story behind the hard work done that goes into every F1 team having its cars out on track.
Overall, I was left with mixed feelings after watching the show, as it took much longer than the single livery launches themselves. The focus was on providing a show for the audience, rather than the technical or other sides of F1 that I personally find more interesting and endearing.
F1’s 'Hollywoodification' was anticlimactic - Meghana Sree
Celebrating the launch of F1’s 75th season was always going to be a grand affair, and with the organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the helm of the event, it was guaranteed to be a glitzy spectacle — whether fans liked it or not. The Hollywood-style set-up was complete with VIP tables, red carpet entries, and glamorous ensembles.
On paper the event delivered everything it promised to, but taking the finer details into consideration, the launch certainly missed the execution mark.
Proceedings began to drag as the teams were introduced one by one, and the often gimmicky video presentations took up more time than the driver and team principal interviews, causing the event to quickly lose steam and energy to fizzle out.
That being said, British comedian Jack Whitehall undoubtedly carried the evening and brought a fresh dose of fun to the sport’s mainstream reputation of being too uppity. F1’s personalities also kept the night alive, with James Vowles and of course, Lewis Hamilton decked in red, stealing the show.
In my opinion, such all-out celebrations should be reserved for milestone years alone, and if Liberty Media is considering a showbiz-inspired opening ceremony for every year, the plan should either be dropped or they should take a new approach — one that keeps the spotlight on the liveries, teams and drivers rather than the performing acts.
F1 75 Live was a successful failure - Rohan Brown
Liberty Media’s new concept to commemorate Formula One’s 75th birthday year was both an innovative step, but also fell short of what I think it should have been.
To start, I think it was (on paper) a great, and certainly innovative event. This first for F1 was an interesting step for Liberty Media to take, and it brought the spectacle it promised. So I would definitely say it was appealing to see how it would play out, and that the organisers pulled out all the stops to make it as great a spectacle as possible.
However, the way it played out is what made it a failure. The event dragged on and on, and the finer details fell short of fans’ expectations. The fanfare created by the teams when revealing their livers paid off for historic outfits such as Ferrari, Williams and McLaren - but for the rest felt plain boring, with a more corporate tone for teams like Alpine.
Moreover the event also felt closed off to fans, primarily because not many tickets were available, and it seemed to just be packed with celebrities. If Liberty Media did decide to do an event like this again, it needs to be organised in a way that allows us fans to be at the core of it.
A turning page, from sport to spectacle: Caitlyn Gordon
Liberty Media took another leap of faith, this time with the official launch of the 2025 F1 season. The event initially raised some eyebrows, with a lack of tickets available for fans and some drivers not entirely sold on the idea.
However, as the event came around, it was refreshing to see the glamour and show made of what normally is a corporate event. The event felt fresh, with teams like McLaren and Ferrari jumping in with creativity honouring their heritage, whilst other teams took a different artistic approach.
Alpine having a performance act to build up to the launch, while Red Bull provided a dance party-style reveal and Aston Martin taking inspiration from their links to James Bond.
It was interesting to see the unique ideas teams came up with to build anticipation for their launch. Another positive was Jack Whitehall, an excellent choice of host, well-educated on current topics, finding numerous ways to harmlessly poke fun which engaged the audience.
On the flipside, the event dragged on, nor was it catered towards existing fans of the sport, rather being a spectacle filled with celebrities. Certain music performances also didn’t fit in with the overall event, throwing off the flow and removing focus from the core idea - the teams’ launches.
Whilst I don’t think this event should be a yearly spectacle, it was a breath of fresh air and something different. The gamble Liberty Media took seemed to have paid off, achieving their goal of attracting non-traditional motorsports fans and showcasing both the sport and its drivers on the big stage, turning F1 from a regular sport into a spectacle.
Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave - Ria Ann Sam
Having a big spectacle to commemorate 75 years of Formula 1 sounds like a good idea in theory, and for the most part it was well-executed. However, it was that and nothing more - a spectacle.
Newer teams such as Alpine and Haas tried to bring flash and show to impress the crowd, but in reality ended up boring them. Teams such as Ferrari and McLaren however, were more successful in showcasing their history and legacy in their introductory videos.
However, why were McLaren’s two drivers - who won multiple races and the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, not on stage when revealing the car? It felt as though the very essence of the team was missing.
Moreover, the Red Bull team weren’t asked any questions - the two drivers just smiled and waved. Given that the team had dominated the 2023 season and declined in 2024, to finish third in the Constructors’ standings, it would have been interesting to hear their thoughts going into the season. Maybe they just didn’t want to face any boos - who knows?
Additionally, most liveries looked quite similar to previous ones — I hoped that 75 years of the sport would translate into dazzling new appearances. VCARB and Alpine were my personal favourites - we finally saw the pink car we were promised last year.
The event was hosted by British comedian Jack Whitehall, who livened up the programme with well-timed jokes, and regular F1 presenters such as Laura Winter and Lawrence Barretto were more accustomed to the spotlight and offered valuable contributions.
Whitehall asking Gordon Ramsay his opinion on the no-swearing rule imposed by the FIA was my personal highlight of the evening as the chef’s mic was turned off. The comedian asking George Russell if he and Max Verstappen had made up was also a particularly funny moment.
Overall, the event felt too flashy and over-the-top, with not enough attention paid to the cars and the drivers in my opinion. It felt as though the rich history of Formula One - which we should have been celebrating - was forgotten in favour of the modern social media “aesthetic.”
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