F1 75 Live as it happened: video plus text commentary of London launch event

 

10.05pm

Teams assemble

Under cover of a season preview video followed by a lengthy description of every race in the season, every team’s car is rolled onto the stage that’s lit up like a starting grid, and they are joined by their drivers. Time for a final farewell from Jack Whitehall and the show is over.

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10pm

Take That

And that is almost your lot as Take That arrive on stage with Greatest Day

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9.55pm

McLaren reveal

A video montage traces the team’s history from Bruce McLaren’s early machines to the Marlboro-clad championship winners of the 1970s and 1980s, then through the ‘Silver Arrows’ years to the modern papaya cars.

Now to the stage — is it groaning under the weight of everything that’s there? Along with the constructors’ championship trophy, there are championship-winning cars Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilin — plus there’s Martin Brundle introducing McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, plus team principal Andrea Stella.

Safe to say that the team is on a high: “Happy days,” agrees Brown. “We are ready!” Stella describes the new car as innovative — not that you’d know at first glance with a similar livery to 2024 to “honour” last year’s title-winner.

The drivers arrive and Lando Norris is excited too. He says the word three times. How about Oscar Piastri? Yes – he’s “super-excited”!

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9.45pm

F1’s boss takes the stage

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is in the spotlight with a reminder of F1’s 75th anniversary, and he promises what we’re all hoping for: “2025 will be an incredible season starting from now.” Domenicali thanks fans in attendance and those watching around the world. He also personally thanks Bernie Eccclestone: “a man who built the sport”

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9.40pm

Ferrari reveal

Ferrari’s unveiling moment begins with a short tribute to founder Enzo Ferrari and then a montage of its grand prix cars from the start of the world championship in 1950 to the present day.

The new 2025 livery is… red. With a white stripe down the airbox that brings to mind the 312 cars as driven by Niki Lauda and Gilles Villeneuve.

Charles Leclerc says he hopes the car will fulfil his goal of winning the F1 championship, then adds that he’s honoured to drive for Ferrari and is “living the dream”.

Then it’s Lewis Hamilton’s turn. The seven-time champion says he’s “invigorated.. full of life… so much energy because everything is new”

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9.30pm

Red Bull reveal

Christian Horner arrives to the Rolling Stones’ Start Me Up in trbute to Red Bull’s former CEO Dietrich Mateschitz as Horner goes on to explain that the team plays it in the garage every time it wins

Horner then throws the stage open to car fans , playing a video of a Red Bull Racing truck gradually attracting a range of modified, drift and classic sports cars, before the crowd spills onto the stage behind the car in familiar Red Bull livery, along with Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson who don’t have to say a word.

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9.25pm

F1’s lighter side

Time for a “fun film” showing the drivers larking about, awkwardly opening with Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen. Who will replace those big personalities this year?

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9.20pm

Mercedes reveal

Mercedes borrows Honda’s old message about the power of dreaming before a Tron-like sequence of green lasers that line the stage as pitcrew make what will be the slowest tyre change of the season.

Team boss Toto Wolff earns brownie points by praising the event. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli also spend time talking about the evening and say barely anything about the car which exits the stage on a raised platform. What can it all mean?

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9.15pm

F1 film trailer

There’s the obligatory trailer for the F1 film, featuring behind-the-scenes footage including Lewis Hamilton.

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9.10pm

Aston Martin reveal

A stirring James Bond intro for Aston Martin purportedly showing its two suited and helmeted drivers racing along the Thames in speedboats before rappelling down onto the O2. Then the drivers arrive in the arena and pull off their helmets to reveal Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso: a nice trick that the late Queen also pulled during the opening ceremony to the 2012 Olympics.

Then there’s a stirring animation followed by a change of tempo with singer Tems and beauty shots of the new car — all no doubt to minimise the time that Lance Stroll has to be questioned. “She looks good,” he opines when asked about the livery. Alonso likes it too: “The best looking car of the night”.

Everybody give it up for Aston Martin,” says Tems, “Aramco,” she hurriedly adds

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9.02pm

FIA booed

Mention of the FIA is greeted by boos — which quickly rescind as its safety crusade is mentioned.

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9pm

Alpine reveal

Alpine has decided to fill its slot with a high-tempo DJ set. After that musical interlude, it all seems a bit low-key: the pink car appeared on stage, followed by some rapid platitudes from Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan. Then it was all over. A fitting tribute to the majority of last year’s underwhelming season.

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8.50pm

Haas reveal

Haas opens its segment with a recap of its eventful decade in F1, inevitably featuring Romain Grosjean’s fireball. The team — like Racing Bulls — has gone with a white-focused livery set against plenty of red and black — Haas seem to need to save weight with plenty of exposed carbon.

This is the only car we’ve already seen: Esteban Ocon sheepishly acknowledged that spyshots sneaked out of the car on track at Silverstone ahead of the event.

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8.40pm

Racing Bulls reveal   

Racing Bulls nails it with a video from comedian Munya Chawawa, making a joke of the team’s tortuous full name: Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. Then he’s on stage at the O2, as the car is revealed in, we would say, a good-looking white and blue livery with a bright Red Bull logo on the airbox.

“It’s bright, it’s white, you know,” says Yuki Tsunoda when asked for his verdict.

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8.30pm

Williams reveal

“Good evening London, says James Vowles as Williams is next to reveal its largely blue car, assisted by a squad of team members in Gulf-liveried helmets. “It feels good. It feels like an improvement on last year,” says Albon who has already driven the car, before slipping in a reference to the team’s new sponsor.

Carlos Sainz declines an invitation to sing Smooth Operator in the arena.

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8.20pm

Sauber reveal

Drummers with green drumsticks herald the first launch of the night and with that colour palette, there’s only one team that it could be. A disembodied voice dispenses motivational catchphrases: “We are ready to hustle harder” it says as the car gradually emerges from a gloomy video. Aaaand… it’s green!

There are flames, more drums and Nico Hulkenberg saying that there’s lots to look forward to at a team that was mired at the back last year.

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8.10pm

F1 75 is live

The event opens with mgk before Jack Whitehall dives straight in and doesn’t dodge the awkward issues, as he addresses the reveal of F1’s new liveries. “I say new, it turns out most of them, haven’t actually changed,” he jokes before turning his attention to Max Verstappen. “Yes he is so excited to be here right now,” he enthuses to the stony-faced world champion. Next it’s time to tackle the friction between Verstappen and Russell last season. “Have you two kissed and made up yet?” he demands

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7.50pm

Just ten minutes to go until a new era in Formula 1 gets underway! There’s been a reunion on the red carpet, with Lewis Hamilton bumping into former Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as well as Kimi Antonelli.

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7.40pm

F1’s best liveries

We’ll see ten new F1 liveries today, but will any come close to the best? Read our rundown of the best ten liveries in F1 history

Top ten best F1 liveries – ever

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7.35

More big names arrive

More images from the red carpet as (from left to write) Max Verstappen arrives, as do Mercedes team-mates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton

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7.25pm

The biggest F1 launch in history. Then it went wrong

This has proved popular on the Motor Sport website today: Matt Bishop’s recollections of two of the biggest launches in F1 history: McLaren’s famous ‘Spice Girls’ event in 1997, and then one that dwarfed it in scale a decade later… but led to a disastrous season. Click below for the full, fantastic column

Matt Bishop: ‘It was the biggest F1 launch in history. Then it all went wrong’

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7pm

Red carpet arrivals

The guests are arriving in force. We’ll leave the fashion commentary to others, but feast your eyes on British world champions Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell along with (from left to right at bottom) former Tyrrell, Ferrari and Benetton driver Jean Alesi; F1 and IndyCar champion Mario Andretti; and Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the upcoming F1 film.

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6.30pm

This is F1. Please do not swear

Swearing has been on, or rather off, the agenda in the pre-event press conferences that drivers have held. Max Verstappen who had to do the F1 equivalent of community service for an outburst last year was reluctant to discuss new rules that impose fines for swearing and could result in a one-month race ban after three expletive-linked incidents.

“I prefer not to speak about that,” said Verstappen. “Otherwise I’ll get in trouble.”

George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, which represents F1 competitors said: “There is merit in saying you shouldn’t swear in an environment like [a press conference]. But when it’s not your first language the first words you get taught are the swear words.”

Yuki Tsunoda, however, showed that he was ready to toe the line. “I’ll try not to fudge up,” he said.

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5.20pm

The biggest launches in history

With live music, a celebrity host and a big audience, today’s event is reminiscent of big F1 launches of the past — although those were just for a single team’s reveal. We’ve covered some of the most boldest events from the heyday of extravagant launches, including town takeovers and, of course, the Spice Girls. Click below to view our story

The boldest and most lavish F1 car launches in history

 

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5pm

Ferrari to reveal full car this evening

The event is billed as a livery reveal, but Ferrari is one of the teams expected to release digital images of this year’s SF-25 car shortly after its car appears on stage at the O2. And don’t forget that it’s also scheduled a second launch event at its Fiorano circuit tomorrow, when its 2025 car is expected to run for the first time.

Tonight is the night! The SF-25 is finally revealed 👀#F175LIVE pic.twitter.com/fhxDz7ZrlS

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 18, 2025

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4.45pm

F1 75 Live

Tonight’s the night: all ten teams and 20 drivers are due at the O2 for the F1 75 Live event. We’ll see each team reveal their 2025 liveries, along with music from Take That, mgk, Kane Brown and Brian Tyler, with actor and comedian Jack Whitehall hosting.

Just don’t expect to learn too much about the cars themselves: we’re expecting the new colour schemes to be shown on last year’s cars or show models.

For more details see our full F1 75 Live guide