Why there won’t be an ‘F1 75’ season launch at the O2 Arena in 2026

F1 will not hold a glitzy season launch ahead of the 2026 F1 season.

Ahead of F1’s 75th anniversary, all 10 teams officially revealed their new liveries to the world in a joint-season launch at the O2 Arena in London.

This was held to celebrate the sport’s 75th birthday in front of a packed-out on-site location in London.

It was the first time in F1 history that all 10 teams were present before pre-season testing to launch their new liveries.

Crash.net understands that a similar event will not occur for the 2026 season.

F1 will likely opt to do something like ‘F1 75 Live’ again for a significant milestone or event in the future.

The 2025 event was broadly successful, with over 1.1 million concurrent viewers on F1’s YouTube channel.

Fans could buy tickets to watch the show in person, while F1 attracted musicians such as MGK and Take That to provide entertainment.

2026 rules key factor

Unlike in 2025, when the rules remained relatively stable over the winter, teams are busy developing and preparing for one of F1’s biggest regulation changes.

In 2026, entirely new chassis and engine rules will be in play, putting extra strain on all 11 teams.

Due to the new regulations, an additional pre-season ‘shakedown’ is taking place in Barcelona, which is expected to be behind closed doors, the teams will be pushed for time, meaning an event like 'F1 75 Live' will be an inconvenience. 

Plus, teams still preferred to reveal their new cars elsewhere.

Ferrari held a shakedown of their 2025 car less than 24 hours after F1 75 Live in London at the team's base in Maranello. 

Williams showed off the FW47 before the season launch in a different livery to the one they revealed at the O2 Arena.