Christian Horner booed by 20,000 fans but F1 75 was worth cheering

On Tuesday night, the F1 world came together for an unprecedented glitzy season launch event in London.

F1 75 Live was a first-of-its-kind event for the sport as all 10 teams and 20 drivers came together for a flashy celebration of 75 years of the world championship.

The first-ever joint season launch event took place over two hours at a sold out O2 Arena as teams used the opportunity to show off their new liveries for the upcoming 2025 season.

Fans, VIPs, influencers and the media assembled in force to witness the event unfold as F1 took over the Greenwich peninsula.

Hamilton laps up limelight

Lewis Hamilton was the star of the night as he made his first public appearance as a Ferrari driver in F1’s season launch event.

The seven-time world champion pulled up to the show in a Ferrari and rocked a stylish suit and fitting red tie as he arrived on the red carpet and captured much of the attention on home soil.

It was no different when he walked out on the stage, together with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and new teammate Charles Leclerc, to a rapturous reception.

Hamilton, no stranger to a catwalk, confidently lapped up the limelight as he was given the biggest cheer of the night.

"The word that I am thinking of is invigorated because I feel so full of life and so full of energy, because everything is new," Hamilton said on stage. "[I am] just focused on what's up ahead. I'm so proud to be part of the team, so new and exciting for me.”

Such was the anticipation and hyped-up atmosphere surrounding Ferrari’s livery reveal, it felt like a finale. But as reigning world champions, McLaren were given that honour.

It could have been a possibly awkward follow-up act for McLaren, but the popularity of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, coupled with a well-played livery launch, maintained the buzz in the room.

Horner and Red Bull cast the villains

In contrast, it was a night to forget for Christian Horner, who entered the stage solo to a chorus of deafening jeers.

Clearly, F1 fans have not forgotten the public scandal which engulfed the Red Bull team principal 12 months ago when he was accused - and later cleared - of inappropriate and coercive behaviour by a female colleague.

The loud boos continued as Horner gave a brief speech before Red Bull’s unveiling of their 2025 livery.

Still smiling through his attempts to style out the negative reception, there was no hiding place for Horner as he was cast as the pantomime villain by a 20,000-strong crowd.

It was a rather embarrassing moment for Horner and a curious decision from Red Bull to allow him to be vulnerable to such a humiliating heckling.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, not a fan of such occasions as someone who prefers to focus on on-track matters, got similar treatment, as he and Liam Lawson (who was cheered) helped show off the unsurprisingly-familiar-looking Red Bull livery.

A win for F1

I have to admit I was a bit of a skeptic leading up to the event, being someone who does not usually enjoy the ‘show’ aspect that is becoming increasingly commonplace in F1.

On this occasion, however, I think F1 struck the right balance.

It wasn’t perfect, as highlighted by some fairly mixed reviews, particularly from those following along at home on the live stream.

In the venue, the atmosphere was electric and the fans in attendance appeared to have a blast, even if thousands began streaming out - presumably in an attempt to avoid The O2 Arena’s well-known tube chaos and catch the last train home - when the Take That trio took to the stage.

There were some cringe-filled moments, and times the format lost some excitement and felt ‘samey’ after Sauber kicked things off strongly.

Alpine’s seven-minute slot was particularly underwhelming, with F1 theme song composer Brian Taylor carrying out what felt like a never-ending DJ set which left many perplexed.

I was also a bit dubious when Jack Whitehall was announced as the host of the event, but I thought he did a great job.

He landed some amusing jokes at the expense of F1 and the sport’s stars. A dig was aimed at Horner (who was labelled “Geri’s plus one”), the mullet-sporting Valtteri Bottas was likened to ‘The Tiger King’ Joe Exotic, and Whitehall also capitalised on the recent beef between Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Whitehall’s interactions with Lando Norris and Gordon Ramsay - another celebrity who became a victim of the British comedian’s roastings - were particular highlights from the 36-year-old who couldn’t resist a ‘Mike Krack’ gag.

Overall, it was a well-executed, enjoyable night and a pleasant surprise.

I’m not sure there’s a need for this to become an annual event, and certainly not in the same format, but it does open the door for F1 to look at new ways to bring fans closer to the sport and its stars.

If this was F1’s version of the Oscars in terms of razzmatazz, the biggest winners on the night were definitely Ferrari and Hamilton.