7.5 million reasons F1 nailed its divisive split with tradition for 2025 season launch

Formula 1 started its 2025 season a little differently this year with every team ditching its traditional launch event for a collective evening of entertainment and spectacle and even though it was clearly a wrench for many of the drivers, the fan response spoke for itself.

F1 75 Live, which took place at London's O2 Arena on Wednesday AEDT, kicked off the new season in unconventional fashion — resembling something more like a fashion show than a car launch.

With red-carpet arrivals, musical performances and celebrity guest appearances, no expense was spared for the highbrow world of F1.

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Named to celebrate the F1 world championships 75th anniversary, the event was headlined by a first for the sport with all 10 team liveries revealed under the same roof and all 20 drivers in attendance.

The event was hosted by British comedian Jack Whitehall and held in front of a live audience of more than 20,000 people.

The event was also broadcast on 42 sports channels across 37 countries and live-streamed by nearly 7.5 million people on social media platforms.

At the show's peak, 1.2m people were watching online.

In a procession, each team uniquely presented their car designs for 2025 without exposing the make of their challenger.

But that wasn't all.

Whitehall used his opening monologue to poke fun at four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen's reluctance to attend the event and his rocky relationship with rival George Russell.

During the event, cameras panned towards celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay — known for his use of profanities in the kitchen — as he was asked his thoughts on the FIA's new rules for drivers around swearing.

Unable to help himself, Ramsay mouthed the word 'shit'.

Later, loud boos rang out from the British crowd when the FIA was thanked in the show's broadcast while Red Bull Racing's unveiling of the RB21 was met with a similar reception with Verstappen and team boss Christian Horner jeered.

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The showcase event is the latest commercial venture from the Formula One Group to help the sport appeal to new audiences and grow in marketability.

In recent years the sport has benefited from the success of Netflix's high-drama docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive and the introduction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and its stereotypical America flare.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff compared the event to the NFL Draft in the United States, suggesting that the launch is another way for F1 teams to be financially viable.

"Regulations stay stable and it's a little bit like the NFL draft, but maybe a little bit with less consequences than the NFL draft," he said.

"We should be promoting that. We should be promoting testing much more than that.

"I think Stefano [Domenicali, FOG chief executive] and Liberty [Media] are doing a really good job in doing that."

The launch also served as the official curtain raiser to pre-season testing in Bahrain which begins next week.