F1 75 Live: What worked, what didn't, event's future

LONDON -- For the first time ever, Formula 1 kicked off its new season with a live event featuring every team and driver.

It was a unique event, set to mark the 75th anniversary of the F1 championship, and inevitably Lewis Hamilton's first official appearance with Ferrari grabbed headlines. Nevertheless, it gave fans unprecedented access, at this point in a calendar year, to Formula 1 teams as they prepare for preseason testing.

So, how did those teams do? What were the best (and worst) moments? And will it become a regular fixture of preseason?

Teams first got wind of the launch idea in a meeting with F1 owners Liberty Media at Austin's U.S. Grand Prix last October and the format evolved from there. While the televised event was on Tuesday evening, for most drivers it was a full day, with media sessions and sponsorship events in the lead-up.

Each team was given the same briefing: seven minutes on stage, with freedom to present their car and drivers however they wanted. That led to a big difference in how each team decided to kick off their season.

That depends what you like.

Sauber kicked off the night with a post-apocalyptic feel, a video introduced by a raven squark and with foreboding narration, Haas used the turntables on the O2 Arena stage, while Ferrari leaned into the anniversary of founder Enzo Ferrari's birthday -- and the small matter of Hamilton's debut with the team. Aston Martin kicked off theirs with the iconic James Bond intro jingle -- in the arena that features as the backdrop for the beginning of "The World is Not Enough" -- before Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll arrived in the arena wearing their helmets.

If you go simply by cheers, Ferrari and Hamilton won. The roar the seven-time world champion was loudest every time he was introduced by host Jack Whitehall.

Whitehall was an unlikely star of the event. The British comedian started off by roasting the drivers sat on the side of the stage, while he injected plenty of lighthearted humour as the event continued.

Whitehall at one point quipped: "You know your sport is ridiculously minted when you book the O2 for an event to announce the color of a load of cars that are all exactly the same as last season." It didn't ring completely true, with plenty of change across the grid, but the joke summed up Whitehall's light ribbing of the whole event.

While RB's car was arguably the best looking of the event, their video presentation was not. It was a slightly hokey, over-produced and had several jokes that simply did not land.

The answer to this question has to be RB's parent Red Bull company, though. Sources told ESPN that their seven-minute segment cost close to £800,000. The biggest gaffe appeared to be leaving Christian Horner on stage for a 60-second segment with the microphone, which led to a loud chorus of boos for the Red Bull team boss. Horner gritted his way through the segment but he looked uncomfortable and surprised with the reaction.

Tellingly, Red Bull was the only team whose drivers didn't speak. Reigning drivers' champion Max Verstappen, who joked last year he would pull a sickie to miss the event, and Liam Lawson simply waved to the fans as they were introduced to the crowd.

That's debatable.

One moment, not completely caught on the TV cameras, was the first showing of the governing body FIA's logo on screen. The boos might not have been as loud as Horner's, but the fans in attendance were on it immediately.

The FIA has kicked off the year by enforcing rules that could lead to points deductions for drivers swearing in news conferences, while the consistency over penalty decisions has been a continuous talking point for years. A later question about the ban -- and TV chef Gordon Ramsay suggesting drivers should be allowed to be swear to their hearts' content when driving so fast -- led to a large cheer, suggesting the earlier boos were directed solely at that recent decision.

There was a fun and engaged feeling in the stadium throughout. It was hard to compare the atmosphere to anything, for it was an event without precedent. What the event did prove is how many people feel a connection to F1 teams and their drivers.

Other than pantomime villain Horner, it was telling that team bosses got a muted reaction compared with their drivers. F1 and the "Drive to Survive" series have tried to make stars of everyone, not just the drivers, but the absence of former Haas boss and documentary cult hero Guenther Steiner was keenly felt. Even Toto Wolff and Frédéric Vasseur had understated receptions, although their teams did limit their microphone time.

F1's live show felt a little bit like a prologue for Wednesday, when Ferrari rolled out its 2025 car. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc did appear at the London event on Tuesday, making for a hasty return to Italy for a filming day at the famous Fiorano test track.

Now things will feel similar to previous years. The remaining teams will officially launch their cars via filming days, before preseason testing begins in Bahrain on Feb. 26. After that, teams briefly return to base, before flying to Australia for the opening race at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit on March 16.

A fun event, one that F1 deserves a lot of credit for. The fan-first approach has had a mixed reaction among F1 die-hards, but the sheer scale of fans in attendance and the noise showed how successful that push has been.

An enjoyable event, and a fitting way to kick off what might be the most competitive Formula 1 season of the modern era.