Anytime Formula 1 decides to try something new, the skeptics come out. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, F1 announced it’d be throwing a huge season-opening party at the O2 Arena in London, where there’d be big-name music performances, celebrity appearances, and a healthy dose of F1-centered stand-up comedy. The bit that not everyone was on board with, however, was a mass car reveal by all 10 F1 teams. This represented a huge change for teams and fans alike, as historically every team has put on its own reveal on its own terms.
I was skeptical too, purely from a coverage standpoint. It’s one thing to see the next year’s contenders revealed over the course of a few weeks, and a completely different one to see them all shown in a matter of hours. Even some of the participants thought it was silly, with Max Verstappen joking that he’d probably call in sick that day. Luckily he didn’t. He was there and he even looked fairly happy. He was also dressed like the dad that he now is.
Despite some of the early gripes, the event was a lot of fun to watch online, and some of the highlight reels featured below will show you why. From actor-comedian Jack Whitehall poking fun at the Verstappen/George Russell drama, to Yuki Tsunoda drifting a Honda S2000 at the red carpet, to the FIA and Christian Horner getting booed by the crowd, Tuesday night’s party was the season-opening event a top-tier, global sport like F1 deserves.
FIA Gets a Five Big Boos: BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO
Okay, maybe it was one long boo and not five short ones, but that’s still extremely embarrassing if you’re, say, the president of the FIA. Warranted? Sure. Mohammed Ben Sulayem is hellbent on running the federation his way—just like all of his predecessors—and has managed to piss off nearly every driver and most of the sport’s fan base.
Yuki Burns Some Rubber
Yuki Tsunoda is one of my favorite current F1 drivers. I’ve had the chance to speak to him several times—formally and casually—and he’s always hilarious and down to earth. It was no surprise that he pulled some shenanigans at Tuesday’s red carpet when he pulled a quick 180 at the wheel of a Honda S2000. Not exactly a show-stopping donut or burnout, but he gets major points for doing this in front of all the people and cameras watching. Yuki: Man of the People
Jack Whitehall Messes With Verstappen and Russell
Whitehall is a pretty funny guy. His roles in Travels With My Father and several other movies and stand-up specials are gold. He utilized his comedic powers to poke fun at the drama between Verstappen and Russell, but perhaps the funniest bit is when he likens Russell to popular train TikToker Francis Bourgeois.
Hamilton the Fortnite Character
Whitehall made fun of more than just Verstappen and Russell. He also had a little fun with Lewis Hamilton, making fun of the seven-time champion’s fashion during race weekends. The comedian praised Hamilton for always being the center of attention, but also for “peacocking through the paddock dressed like a Fortnite character.” Pretty funny, considering Hamilton is a big Fortnite fan.
Nobody Puts Leclerc in the Backseat
This particular clip didn’t land on YouTube, but it was posted to Instagram by Sky F1 Italy. It shows Hamilton and Charles Leclerc arriving to the red carpet in a chauffeured Ferrari Purosangue. What stood out to me was that Hamilton was sitting in the front seat, while Leclerc took the backseat. Kind of odd, considering there are two individual bucket seats in the back of the Ferrari, meaning they could’ve ridden together… as equals. Instead, Hamilton was up front. Am I reading too much into this?
If you care to watch the whole enchilada, you can do so here.
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