In recent years, Formula 1 car launches have evolved away from the extravagant spectacles of the past. The days when McLaren Mercedes would enlist the Spice Girls to add a touch of popstar glamour to their season unveiling seemed long gone, replaced by a shift towards digital-first strategies. Enter F1 75 Live.
For the first time in its history, F1 brought all the teams together under one roof for a unified launch event. Given that the 2025 cars are, for the most part, slightly refined versions of their 2024 predecessors, the opportunity to think beyond the standard launch format was there… and F1 delivered.
What sparked the idea behind this event
Yes, F1 is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and obviously owners Liberty Media wanted to do something special to mark the occasion, but there is a lot more to it than that.
Let’s be honest, car launches have been rather forgettable of late. Some teams have even opted to go fully digital with their car unveilings, posting a few generated images on social media of the (often not-so) new livery and calling it a day. Even the individual launch events in the past follow the same predictable format:
- Team Principal speaks about the upcoming season.
- Drivers make an appearance and say a few pre-approved lines.
- The car is unveiled with much anticipation.
- Sponsors get their moment in the spotlight.
- And that’s about it.
The problem? These events often felt uninspired, easy to miss, and even easier to forget. They’re also costly, and when you weigh the return on investment (ROI) against a simple yet impactful digital campaign, it’s hard to justify the expense.
Another important point is that nowadays, F1’s winter break is far shorter. Go back 20 years and there’d be a five-month coverage void for teams to fill, so making the most of events like car launches was imperative to keep the stakeholders happy.
With Liberty Media keen to glamourise every aspect of the sport to make F1 more of a show, F1 75 Live was another opportunity for them to generate a wow-moment and garner even more coverage. And that, they definitely achieved.
Record-breaking audience figures
By allowing teams to inject their own personality into the event, F1 75 Live felt more like an Olympic opening ceremony than a series of copy-paste car reveals. This creative approach led to record-breaking results.
In total, there were 4.6 million concurrent viewers on the YouTube live stream, peaking at 1.1 million. Across all platforms, F1 claims to have attracted a viewership of 7.5 million, though with 42 additional broadcasts around the world, the actual number is probably much higher.
Compare that to its previous record for a livestream event, which it’s claimed peaked at 289,000, and no matter what you thought about how F1 75 Live was executed, the numbers speak for themselves.
One key ingredient to its success was the strategic use of high-profile influencers. The involvement of stars like comedian Jack Whitehall, musician Machine Gun Kelly, country singer Kane Brown, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, and actor Idris Elba expanded the reach far beyond the usual F1 audience.
Will it happen again?
With such resounding success, could this be the new standard for F1 launches? While fans, teams, and drivers all gave it their seal of approval, it’s unlikely to become an annual tradition. Instead, expect this kind of grand scale launch to be reserved for milestone anniversaries… so I wouldn’t hold your breath until at least 2030.
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