Opinion: F1-75 Achieved its Aim and was Pleasently Surprising Despite a few Questional Moments

Yesterday at 01:53 PM

When Formula One announced F1-75 as an event to officially start the 2025 season and celebrate 75 years of a pinnacle of Motorsport, the overlying reaction entering the event was….less than positive to say the least. This would be a major shake up in the traditional annual event with teams launching their cars and liveries at their own discretion throughout January and February of that year. However, I went into it with somewhat optimism and an open mind to see what Formula One and the teams could pull off. 

The Headline Event

To officially launch the season, it achieved their target. 10 liveries were officially launched by all 10 teams, the final year of 10 teams being on the grid before Cadillac joins this collective of teams for the 2026 season. 

Going in reverse world constructors championship order from the final results of 2024, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber started off with a video and illuminated drumsticks which resulted in the overall build up to the reveal being longer than the conversation with drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto who were accompanied by team principal Mattia Binotto. Longer conversations should have been a priority in order to satisfy the die hard formula one fans appeal for the event. 

Revealing next was Atlassian Williams Racing, showcasing their new title sponsor of the Australian software company which gets added onto the front of their team. A very less dragged on presentation from the British team as the team principal James Vowels appeared, revealed the livery and brought the drivers out. Quick, simple, to the point. Lovely. 

VCARB… Oops Visa Cash App Racing Bulls was next with a cheesy video of the team playing on their constant rebrands as they have gone from Toro Rosso to Alpha Tauri to Visa Cash App RB to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls within 7 years. 

Their livery, however, made up for this as the white version of the Red Bull livery from Turkey in 2021 came back from the dead to last for a full season on the sister team. Whenever I look at it, I think it makes the colours pop but it also reminds me of the Formula 2 cars of Hadjar and Marti in 2024 for some reason. I won’t complain. 

The American Team of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team were next with a slightly revised livery in comparison to the 2024 version. My view is that the team are trying to refine and tune this livery to perfection and this one is a step forward.

The enstone team of BWT Alpine F1 Team(rumoured to become HiTech after former HiTech boss Oliver Oakes took over) is one of the most striking liveries on the grid. The DJ used at the beginning has many people, myself included, confused towards the context, however, they are the same person who wrote the beloved F1 theme tune which is…..a fact. The livery really pops, however, with the bright pink and blue. 

The James Bond team of Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team easily had the best introduction. With musicians, Alonso and Stroll walking out to the James Bond theme, it fits the tone perfectly. Granted, even though the overall livery has not changed, the livery is still great, albeit a downgrade from previous years. 

Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team was next with not the start they wanted with a slow pitstop bringing the headlines compared to it’s unchanged 2024 livery design. The livery is not awful, however, I was expecting many changes, such as a move back to the all silver design. 

Oracle Red Bull Racing followed the Brackley team with a completely unchanged livery. *Shock face* I know it’s for brand purposes but I think many people….well me anyway, would have loved to see the white red bull return for Hona’s final year with the energy drinks team. 

The prancing horse of Scudaria Ferrari HP was up next with a basic but classic reveal. Hamilton and Leclerc revealing it with the livery being, in my opinion, probably my least favourite due to the HP logo. 

The reigning world champions of McLaren were the last to reveal their livery with a completely unchanged one from 2024. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Performances:

The musicians performing on the night were…good. Now, I am a BIG Take That fans so it won’t come as a surprise that I thought they were the best with renditions of Rule The World and Greatest Day. I think a song like Shine, however, would have been more appropriate. 

As for Machine Gun Kelly, Martin Brundles best friend, it surprised me how quickly they started with him. He immediately started blasting his guitar which….was expected but unexpected. 

The “half time show” (well, after VCARB) was an interesting performance. One Kane Brown, one microphone, many cameras. Nothing more to say really. Song was good too.

In general, I think it is fair to say that the performances were fillers and a way to attract different audiences which certainly worked. 

The Future Of Formula One

I am a big fan of the ladder to Formula One, startng from F4, making the steps up to the top step so seeing Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy get its own specific section was great to see as this is ultimately where the future of F1 lies. Every single driver has come up the ranks, whether that being winning the championships like Gabriel Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri have done or showing talent and potential such as Alex Albon, Lando Norris and Liam Lawson. The mention of the FIA was met with….a mixed reaction which was expected but I was not surprised at the amount of negativity surrounding the FIA, especially after the increase of fines due to certain behavior.

Presenters and jokes:

Jack Whitehall is a well known presenter in the UK and Ireland (I am unsure how well he is known across other countries) but I think he handled the situation very well tackling some topics such as the FIA Swearing ban, George Vs Max and their beef as well as daydreaming over Charles Leclerc. 

While some jokes made me cringe such as the one over the rear of a Formula One car and Lando’s comment which Guenther Steiner would have made, the jokes were quite good and not as bad as people set them out to be. 

Final Verdict

The event did what it said on the tin. We got to see cars and liveries and mark the official launch of F1 2025. I can’t help, however, but feel like there was a missed opportunity to make more announcements such as the upcoming season for Drive To Survive, upcoming collaborations and a chance for teams to make announcements. Of course, I understand that this was a one off and the main target was achieved which was the primary goal of this event to start an eagerly anticipated season.