Straking in front of 20,000 euphoric British fans, sporting the combinations of Ferrari red breed, Lewis Hamilton placed a lonely finger in his ear and radiated.
Entering season 19 in Formula 1, the 40 -year -old knows that he is now still the star of the show. And Tuesday evening at F1 75 Live, because F1 tried an event as Razzle Dazzle that he was experimental in a nod to his 75th anniversary, the greatest transfer in the history of sport was certain that their very rolling london bet appeared large.
And here is the thing: Hamilton likes a bridge. Each morning, when he enters the Paddock of Formula One, carrying a high-end outfit of his extravagant wardrobe, the spectators stop and look. And in the middle of two hours, 10 teams and 20 pilots on stage at O2 Arena in eastern London, there was no doubt that the crowd had come to see. Perhaps the only disappointment was that the only statements of the seven times world champion came and entered in less than half a minute. In a frustrating way, there was a tight schedule to follow.
“The word I think [for this season] is invigorated, “he said. “I feel so full of life, I have so much energy because everything is new. I focus on what awaits us and so proud to be part of this team. »»
But although there was no doubt of Hamilton’s popularity notes in the last chances of sport and F1 showbiz, Christian Horner could not help laughing while the Boss Red Bull entered stage A Morve choir.
F1 fans will remember that 12 months ago, the boss of Max Verstappen was the subject of an investigation by an employee for “inappropriate behavior”. The complaint was rejected, twice, but with his wife Geri Halliwell present on the red carpet, it was a moment for Horner to shrink under the spotlight. Admirably, the director of the often besieged team continued.
The most intriguing, Verstappen (who said months ago, he would be “sick” for this evening event and clearly did not revel in spotlights like his rival Arch Hamilton) and the new teammate Liam Lawson were the only ones Drivers to have said a word to the crowd all night.
However, it may be one of the rare hooks in the middle of two hours of catchy neon lasers and deafening audio. The 10 teams, revealed from the last to the first according to last year’s ranking, completely bought with the pump and the show when they revealed the deliveries of cars mainly unchanged for the 2025 campaign. And Jack Whitehall, the Night host who does not even have a driving license, has done exquisite work to balance the status of F1 status often pernickety with good old -fashioned mickey.
The heated quarrel of George Russell and Max Verstappen? Directly. A joke on F1 drivers avoiding taxes? Tick. Russell labeled the second sexiest man in King’s Lynn after Martin Brundle? Big W. A love for the original figure of the boss of Williams James Vowles? The most popular. From the interior of the arena, the captivation of old and young fans, men and women, was clear from the start.
And they were also a competent root. Maybe the biggest joke of the evening was saved for the FIA, the F1 director body, when their logo appeared on the screen. The president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben SULAYEM, would do well to take note, in the midst of a strangely strict repression on the jurors of the drivers.
The show opened its doors with an American singer machine gun Kelly – a strange choice, perhaps, taking into account her running on the F1 grid in Brazil two years ago with Brundle – and ended with taking this, A compulsory musical burst in the middle of cars and staff. However, they were not the main event: which was left for cars and drivers, in a closely executed fence sequence on stage.
“I can already moaning purists here,” yell Whitehall at first, omnipresent energy. Energy which, to be fair, has rarely dissipated.
Admittedly, it was perhaps not a night for oil tankers. Sometimes, the repetitive nature of the procedures – in the end, it was simply the color of the car and we did not hear a revealing engine all night – was expired.
However, for the broader and more diverse public, F1 has attracted – and continues to attract – in recent years, it was a night of splendor, less than a month from the curtain courtyard of the 2025 season in Australia. For Liberty Media, the American F1 owners who changed the game with their driving to survive the inspired marketing game, it was a job well done before one of the most awaited seasons in sport.
And while Hamilton took leave on his private jet in Maranello, before his first outing in the Ferrari SF-25 2025 car on Wednesday, his ears will still be screaming the pure volume in the arena. In the midst of popular British like Norris and Russell, Hamilton is still the familiar name for sport.
If he needed more motivation for an eighth record title in 2025, he now has it.
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