Ever the sport thats innovating, Formula One delivered its first ever combined launch event for all the ten teams at the 20,000 seater O2 arena in London last night. It was full of dazzling lasers, smoke and lighting effects as in reverse order of their finishing spot in the 2024 championship, the teams were introduced.
British comedian Jack Whitehall conducted the role of MC and his jibes were aplenty those aimed at including Max, Verstappen, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff. Many of the team’s liveries for this year were little changed from 2024 as McLaren boss Zak Brown stated the reason for his metro’s continuity was to honour their achievement of winning the constructors’ championship for the first time in 26 years.
Red Bull similarly will run a similar livery to the one which saw Max Verstappen become a four times consecutive F1 drivers’ champion. The junior team now officially based at Milton Keynes, which principal Laurent Mekies stated was now their HQ, was “very white” according to Yuki Tsunoda.
Most F1 teams livery unchanged
Kick Sauber too had a striking colour scheme for the 2025 F1 challenger but they will hope their fortunes improve on track more than winning the prize of the night for a spectacular livery under the lights.
Christian Horner was the only team boss to arrive on stage without an interviewer. Predictably there were jeers from the crowd as he strode onto stage, but given the big RB21 unveil was under the huge LED screen which read, “The rebel team,” the response from the crowd was hardly surprising.
The Red Bull boss followed a segment where MC Jack Whitehall decided it was time to make fun of the FIA’s new crackdown on swearing. Drivers’ could receive a month month ban under the new regulations announced two weeks ago but Ramsey when asked about the matter was relatively restrained – for him.
He was announced by Whitehall as “Scottish Mary Berry”, who is an ageing but very principled and proper British bakery expert. Given Ramsey’s reputation for saying more derivations of the word “fuck” in his broadcasts than most anything else, the impending topic was obvious to all.
Ramsey mocks new FIA joke swearing bans
“Of course you’re here,” quipped the MC. “You love a corporate freebie,” referencing the frequent invitations the British chef receives to appear on the F1 grid. The audience obliged with more than a chuckle.
“This guy’s worse than Salt Bae,” Whitehall added to roars of laughter. His reference is to a Turkish chef who goes to any lengths to market his cooking, even posing in front of Fidel Castro’s house for a stunt in 2017, which became a global meme.
Whitehall ploughed on asking, “Gordon I have a very serious question, as this is a very serious subject. I wanna talk to you about the F1 swearing ban. How important do you think as role models its proper not to turn the airwaves blue with course language?”
Ramsey is seen rubbing his head in his hands barely capable of hiding the smile as he recognises this is more about him than the F1 drivers. “Be very careful how you answer this – as you’re at the bosses table,” Whitehall cautions as Stefano Domenicali is seen in the background.
Horner walks on to jeers
“I think it’s an industry language. The fact that these athletes are pushing themselves to the extreme. So sometimes it comes out.” Mock stumbling over how to express himself politely Ramsey continues, “Let em… let.. let em be real.”
“Let it go…. Come on…. They’re risking their lives every time at 200 miles per hour. So if the SHIT hits the fan….”. Whitehall like a schoolmaster who must chastise his student, though he respects the intervention , withdrew the microphone shouting “Please!!!! You’re not getting invited back next year.“ Yet the point had been made by Liberty Media who were paying for the event, and indeed the representatives of the FIA were conspicuous by their absence.
Whitehall concludes the segment, mocking the FIA once again. “To prove the fun police haven’t completely taken over,” he grinned, “here’s a fun film showing the drivers larking about.” For those who are not native English speakers, lurking about refers to an age of innocence when fun was merely clean and innocent. Take that FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulaymen was the message.
Christian Horner had to follow the much loved tom foolery as he strode onto the stage alone, with the microphone in his hand. “Its four in a row, four in a row, congratulations Max,” blared the PA playing the team radio message from Horner to his driver, the moment he clinched the 2024 F1 drivers title.
Red Bull lame introduction
The Rolling Stones blared out playing, “start me up” as the Red Bull boss casually sauntered to the centre of the stage. He explained limply and to little response this was in honour of the team’s founder Didi Mateschitz, and Red Bull played this in the garage whenever a Red Bull driver won an F1 race. Prior to Austrian entrepreneur’s death and in keeping with the rebel team motif, this music was previously “Who let the dogs out.”
The jeers were relatively low key, but persistent as Horner reiterated they had played “Start me up” nine times last year with the result being Max Verstappen winning the drivers’ title for a fourth consecutive time.
“As Max would say, that was ‘simply lovely’,” said Horner – another humorous reference to an old English expression by the Dutch driver.
Whilst Horner and Verstappen were the object of mild booing, the object of the fans derision was saved for the FIA. The knowledgable crowd reacted badly when the FIA logo was displayed in 5 metre high lettering. Clearly the potential of an F1 driver swerving a 1 month ban for being indicted for swearing three tines a year, is the response from the real people who watch the sport, and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem should take heed.
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I like his approach regarding the swearing matter.
The VCARB livery is definitely my outright favorite among all 2025 liveries, but the lack of Red Bull Racing drivers’ on-stage interviews is baffling, while Jack Whitehall’s jabs were a bit too cringey for a formal event, even if funny.