SHOWTIME!

Lasers! Pyros! Capacity crowds! Take That! Oh, and some Formula One cars too. What really happened at F1's stadium launch party?

- SAM PHILIP

A Haas car revolves slowly on a dolly.

The crowd goes wild! A wild gyrating DJ pretends to twiddle some knobs.

The crowd goes wild! Lando Norris flicks his hair.

The crowd goes wild! Max Verstappen waves politely.

The crowd boos.

Welcome to F1 75...

"What is F1 75?" asked reigning world champion Max Verstappen when, ahead of the O2 launch event, he was asked if he was looking forward to it. "What are you talking about?"

Provided with a vague précis, Verstappen audibly groaned. "I don't watch any F1," he replied. "I hope I'm sick that week."

Max's sicknote wish, as it transpires, isn't granted. Or if he is ill, he's been given a double dose of Anadin Extra and told to get his Nomex clad arse down to the O2. Verstappen's pre-event hesitancy might partly explain the crowd booing every time he appears on screen (the rest, I think, is explained by 'being Max Verstappen'). But, give the dice headed speedster his due, it's a fair question. What is F1 75? What are you talking about?

Call it the event the world never realised it needed. For 74 F1 seasons before 2025, livery reveals weren't considered a big deal. Teams would unveil their new car a few weeks before the new season, trot out a few quotes about pushing the boundaries for the upcoming season, then dash back to the wind tunnel to figure out how to make their car actually work. The paintjob itself rarely made headlines, because it generally looked much the same as the old one. By the time you've squeezed in all the sponsors' logos, and kept a strong visual link to last year's car because at the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One team, brand loyalty is all - there's not much real estate left to work with. Livery surprises have historically been rare to nonexistent.