Lewis Hamilton made his first global appearance as a Ferrari driver at Formula 1’s 2025 season launch, a high-profile event at London’s O2 Arena.
The seven-time world champion, who recently completed his first laps in a Ferrari at the team’s test track in Italy, was the standout attraction at the two-hour event on Tuesday, receiving the loudest cheers from the sold-out crowd of 15,000. Tickets for the event had sold out within 20 minutes the previous year.
Addressing the enthusiastic audience, Hamilton greeted them with, “Good evening everyone,” and expressed his excitement about his new journey with Ferrari. “I feel so full of life, because everything is new. Just focused on what’s ahead. I am so excited to be part of the team,” he said.
Comedian and host Jack Whitehall humorously commented on Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes to Ferrari, likening it to a longtime partner leaving for an “Italian stallion.” Hamilton, who became the most successful driver in F1 history with Mercedes, now joins Ferrari a move that has generated significant excitement with the season less than a month away.
Following the event, Hamilton, his new teammate Charles Leclerc, and Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur immediately returned to Italy for the official launch of Ferrari’s 2025 car in Maranello. The car displayed at the O2 Arena was merely a show car in the 2025 livery, not the actual race car for the upcoming season.
While Hamilton was a focal point, other popular drivers also received loud cheers, including Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz (now at Williams), and George Russell. Whitehall playfully teased Leclerc about his good looks, while Norris shared a lighthearted exchange with the host, even dropping a “naughty word” that may not sit well with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who has previously taken a strict stance on language.
Among the lively celebrations, there was one awkward moment when Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was loudly booed during his team’s segment. However, when reigning champion Max Verstappen took the stage, the cheers for him quickly drowned out the negative reactions.
Formula 1 spared no effort in making the event a spectacle, marking the 75th anniversary of the World Championship. Given its success, F1’s owners, Liberty Media, may consider making it an annual tradition. All 10 teams and 20 drivers were required to attend, and while some, like Verstappen, were not enthusiastic about it, everyone played their part professionally throughout the extensive media sessions and the main event.
The show featured live performances, with Machine Gun Kelly opening and Take That closing the evening. Whitehall provided witty commentary, even joking about the rivalry between Russell and Verstappen, quipping, “How can anyone have beef with George? He’s the nicest guy in the world.”
Each team had seven minutes to present themselves, following the reverse order of the previous season’s Constructors’ Championship standings, with McLaren closing out the night. Speaking on stage, Norris shared his excitement for the season ahead, saying, “We’re all excited. A lot of hard work, and today it starts.”
The event’s global reach was undeniable, with 1.1 million peak concurrent viewers on F1’s YouTube channel and a total of 4.6 million across the live broadcast. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff called it “a new milestone, such an amazing event.”
Wrapping up the evening, McLaren CEO Zak Brown delivered the final words: “We never stop racing. Let’s go.”
