5 things to look out for at the spectacular F1 75 Live season launch event

We are just a day away from F1 75 Live, the spectacular season launch taking place at London’s The O2 on February 18. The unprecedented event will see all 10 teams – along with their respective drivers and team principals – come together to unveil their liveries for the campaign and kick off the season in style.

There will be plenty of entertainment in store across the evening, and we’ve rounded up five things in particular to look out for…

New car liveries

During the two-hour F1 75 Live event – which begins at 2000 GMT – each team will have their moment as they reveal their livery for the 2025 season.

Seeing the design that the cars will sport in the campaign ahead is always an exciting moment, with some striking looks emerging over the years. Kick Sauber memorably caught the eye in 2024 by unveiling their new green and black colour scheme, while Alpine have been known to experiment with shades of pink on their challenger.

F1 75 LIVE: How to watch the season launch event from The O2

Toto Wolff, meanwhile, has hinted that Mercedes will continue to run black on their car going forward. But will anybody spring a surprise in their livery for 2025? We’ll soon find out…

F1 season launch event - 18 February 2024 (press image).png — All 10 teams will unveil their liveries for the 2025 campaign during F1 75 Live

Hamilton makes first official public appearance for Ferrari

The past few weeks have witnessed the beginnings of Lewis Hamilton’s new chapter at Ferrari, with the seven-time World Champion embarking on an “immersion programme” that has seen him get behind the wheel of one of the team’s cars for the first time as well as familiarising himself with how things work at Maranello.

Now fans will get to see Hamilton make his first official public appearance in red when he joins new team mate Charles Leclerc to unveil the livery for their 2025 car at F1 75 Live, marking the latest landmark moment in the Briton’s new partnership with the Scuderia.

After his 12-year stint at Mercedes, it will be fascinating to hear from Hamilton at the event as he moves ever closer to making his track debut for Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton's first days in Ferrari red

Arrival of the rookies

There will be a host of new faces to look out for at F1 75 Live as several rookies prepare to make their debuts in the season ahead. Kimi Antonelli steps up to replace Hamilton at Mercedes, while the 18-year-old’s former F2 team mate, Ollie Bearman, joins Haas full-time following his super-sub appearances in 2024.

Meanwhile the reigning Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto will race for Kick Sauber and runner-up Isack Hadjar arrives at Racing Bulls, following Liam Lawson’s promotion to Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s new team mate.

F1 ROOKIES LOWDOWN: Your comprehensive guide to the young drivers joining the Formula 1 grid in 2025

And over at Alpine, long-time reserve driver Jack Doohan is set to line up in front of his home crowd at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, albeit with some pressure already on his shoulders. F1 75 Live might give us an early sense of how the rookies are settling into their new teams just weeks ahead of their debuts.

SPA, BELGIUM - JULY 28: Race winner Isack Hadjar of France and Campos Racing (20) and Second placed — Formula 2 champion Bortoleto and runner-up Hadjar will both make their F1 debuts in 2025

Eye-catching new driver line-ups

Those debutants will form part of several brand new driver line-ups across the field in 2025; indeed, only two of the 10 teams are fielding an entirely unchanged pairing from last year. That means that there will be some intriguing new partnerships to keep an eye out for at F1 75 Live.

The season ahead marks an important one for Red Bull as they look to bounce back from losing the Constructors’ Championship in 2024. As part of their efforts to get back on top, Liam Lawson will join World Champion Max Verstappen at the squad, becoming the Dutchman’s first new team mate in several years. Will the pair be in fighting spirit at the season launch event?

Other drivers that will be turning out for new teams at F1 75 Live include Nico Hulkenberg – who makes the switch to Kick Sauber – and Esteban Ocon, with the Frenchman filling the vacancy left by Hulkenberg at Haas. And another refreshed line-up of note sees Carlos Sainz partner with Alex Albon at Williams, a pairing hailed by Team Principal James Vowles as “the best on the grid”.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 08: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB — Lawson is making the step up to Red Bull in 2025 to become Verstappen's new team mate

An evening of entertainment

Alongside the livery and driver line-up reveals during F1 75 Live, the evening will also feature plenty of extra entertainment.

The show will be hosted by comedian and actor Jack Whitehall and will also feature US country sensation Kane Brown, award-winning multi-platinum recording artist mgk, composer Brian Tyler’s Are We Dreaming, and the iconic British band Take That.

Jack Whitehall will also be joined throughout the night by familiar faces from F1 TV Laura Winter, Ariana Bravo and Lawrence Barretto.

The event is being brought to life by creative visionary Brian Burke of BrianBurkeCreative along with Stufish Entertainment Architects, DX7 Design and production company 1826. This world-renowned team created the opening and closing ceremonies for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, so we look set to be in for a night to remember.

F1 75 LIVE: All you need to know about the spectacular launch event at The O2

It is an event not to be missed, and for fans unable to attend in person – with high demand seeing tickets for the show rapidly sell out – Formula 1 broadcasters from around the globe have confirmed they will televise the event live. F1 75 Live will also be streamed for free on F1’s social media channels, including YouTube.