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F1 announcement reveals Verstappen live car launch decision

Max Verstappen will be present at the O2 Arena

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 18 February 2025 17:10 Updated: 02:11

A decision as to whether or not Max Verstappen would show up to Formula 1's 2025 car launch party later on Tuesday has been confirmed by the sport's official social media account.

F1's stars are heading to the O2 Arena in London for a celebration of the sport's 75th anniversary, with all 10 teams' official liveries for the new season being unveiled at one central location.

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WATCH F1 75 LIVE: Everything you must know on TODAY'S O2 F1 car launch extravaganza

Verstappen is set to go for his fifth consecutive world championship success in 2025, with the Dutchman having dominated the sport for the past few seasons.

However, late last year, Verstappen hinted that he would not be present for F1's showcase F175 event, instead stating that he 'hoped to be sick that week', with the 27-year-old's dislike of off-track F1 activities growing ever stronger.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are expected to be present at the O2 Arena

Max Verstappen has been growing increasingly frustrated with off-track F1 activities

If you fancy experiencing the thrills of F1 in style, grab your hospitality tickets by clicking here to go to any of the grands prix on the 2025 calendar!

When is the F175 live event?

The event at the O2 Arena kicks off at 8pm GMT on Tuesday February 18, and is available to watch on Sky Sports F1, or for free via F1's official YouTube channel.

Lewis Hamilton will be present at the main event dressed in Ferrari attire following his switch to the team for 2025 and beyond, but he and team-mate Charles Leclerc's absence from media press conferences earlier in the day have been confirmed.

Verstappen, meanwhile, has now been officially confirmed to be at the event, quashing any rumours that the Dutchman might try to pull a sickie.

F1 took to their Instagram page to showcase the full lineup for the first-of-its-kind event, with all 20 drivers and all 10 team principals confirmed to be making an appearance.

Who is presenting F175 Live at the O2?

Amid the lineup announcement, familiar F1 faces Lawrence Barretto, Laura Winter and Ariana Bravo were confirmed to be presenting the event, and will be joined by award-winning comedian Jack Whitehall.

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Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Formula 1 O2 Arena F1 75