Eight years after Hamilton's snub, F1 returns to London

F1 75 Live launches its 2025 season tomorrow - yet the last time the sport was in the capital, its biggest star was absent

- KIERAN JACKSON

Prior to the Drive to Survive era, which triggered the sport's unprecedented boom, one of Liberty Media's first ventures as Formula One's bright-eyed American owners came in the summer of 2017. The next best thing beyond the unrealistic concept of a race around London's streets, the capital opened itself up to F1 Live London, depicted as a "world-first" event to "celebrate a new era".

Taking place a few days before the British Grand Prix, on a gorgeous Wednesday night in July, it turned Trafalgar Square into a one-day hub of high-energy, fast-moving activity. From Sebastian Vettel executing doughnuts in his Ferrari car to Little Mix performing on stage, it was the first step on Liberty's unrelenting journey towards a younger, more diverse audience.

The results in eyeballs and wealth - are plain for all to see today.

With 100,000 people attending, it was a rip-roaring success.

There was just one problem: Lewis Hamilton did not turn up.

The then-Mercedes driver, in the midst of what would turn out to be his fourth title-winning season, opted instead for a two-day holiday in Greece. For a figure who has, in the years since, transcended his sport and remains its most popular star, it was a somewhat peculiar decision.