Christian Horner booed by 20,000 fans but F1 75 was worth cheering
mahbx.com's Lewis Larkam recaps a special night at the O2 - and a first for F1 - at the sport's u🌼nique joint season la🌳unch event.
On Tuesday night, the F1 world came toget๊her for an unprecedented glitzy season launch event in Lon𓂃don.
F1 75 Live was a first-of-its-kind event for the sport as all 10 teams and 20 drivers came together for a flashy celebration of 75 yearsꦡ of the world championship.
The first-ever joint season launch event took place over two hours at a sold out O2 Arena as teams used the opportunity to show off their new liveries for the upcoming 2025 seas♍on.
Fans, VIPཧs, influencers and the media assembled in force to witness the event unfold as F1 took over the Greenwich peninsula.
Hamilton laps up limelight
168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton was thౠe star of the night as he made his first public appearance as a Ferrari driver in F1’s season launch event.
The seven-time world champion pulled up to the𓄧 show in a Ferrari and rocked a stylish suit and fitting red tie as he arrived on the red carpet and captured much of the attention🐻 on home soil.
It was no different when he walked out on the stage, together with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and new teammate168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Charles Leclerc, to a rapturous reception.
Hamilton, no stranger to a catwalk, confidently lapped up the limelight as he was give🤡n the biggest cheer of the night.
"The word that I am thinking of is invigorated because I feel so full of life and so full of energy, becau♔se everything is new," Hamilton said on stage. "[I am] just focused on what's up ahead. I'm so proud to be part of the team, so new and exciting for me.”
Such was the anticipation and hyped-up atmosphere surrounding Ferrar🤪i’s livery reveal, it felt like 🦋a finale. But as reigning world champions, McLaren were given that honour.
It could have been a possibly awkward follow-up act for McLaren, but the popularity of 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Oscar Piastri, cܫoupled with a well-꧑played livery launch, maintained the buzz in the room.
Horner and Red Bull cast the villains
In contrast, it was𒁃 a night to forget for Christian Horner, who entered the stage solo to a chorus of deafening jeers.
Clearly, F1 fans have not forgotten the public scandal which engulfed the Red Bull team principal 12 months ago when he was accused - and later cle⛎ared - of inappropriate ൩and coercive behaviour by a female colleague.
The loud boos continued as Horner gave a brief speꦦech before Red Bull’s u🌳nveiling of their 2025 livery.
Still smiling through his attempts to style out the ไnegative reception, there was no hiding place 🐭for Horner as he was cast as the pantomime villain by a 20,000-strong crowd.
It was a rather embarrassing moment f🤡or Horner and a curious decision from Red Bull to allow him to be vulnerable to such a humiliating ༺heckling.
Reigning world champion 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen, not a fan of such occasions as someone who prefers to focus on on-track matters, got similar treatment, as he and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Liam Lawson (who was cheered) helped show off the unsurprisingly-familiar-looking Red❀ Bull livery.
A win for F1
I have to admit I was a bit of a skeptic leading up to the event, being someone ꧅who does not usually enjoy the ‘show’ aspect that is becoming increasingly commonplace in F1.
On this occasion, however,♚ I think F1 struck the right balance.
It 🍎wasn’t perfect, as highlighted by some fairly mixed revꦜiews, particularly from those following along at home on the live stream.
In the venue, the atmosphere was electric and the fans in attendance appea꧋red to have a blast, even if thousands began streaming out - presumably in an attempt to avoid The O2 Arena’s well-known tube chaos and catch the last train home - when the Take T🌊hat trio took to the stage.
There were some cringe-filled moments, and times the format lost some e🍷xcitement and felt ‘samey’ after Sauber kicked things off strongly.
Alpine’s seven-minute slot ღwas particularly underwhelming, with F1 theme song composer Brian Taylor carrying out what felt like a never-ending DJ set which left many perplexed.
I was also a bit dubious when Jack Whitehall was announced as the host of the event, but I thoug🌺ht he did a great job.
He landed some amusing jokes at the expense of F1 and the sport’s stars. A dig was aimed at Horner (who was labelled “Geri’s plus one”), the mullet-sporting 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Valtteri Bottas was likened to ‘The Tiger King’ Joe Exotic, and Whitehall also capitalised on the recent beef between Verstappen and Mercedes’ 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell.
Whitehal🍃l’s interactions with Lando Norris and Gordon Ramsay - another celebrity who became a victim of the British comedian’s roastings - were particular highlights from the 36-year-old who couldn’t resist a ‘Mike Krack’ gag.
Overall, it was a well-executed, enjoyable night and a pleasᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚant surprꦰise.
I’m not sure there’s a need for this to become an annual⛦ event, and certainly not in the same format, but it does open the door for F1 to look at ne🌠w ways to bring fans closer to the sport and its stars.
If this was F1’s version of the Oscars in term෴s of razzmatazz, the biggest winners on the night were definitely Ferrari and Hamilton.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action 💝from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
