No decision has been made regarding the launch event for the 2026 F1 group.

      "We will be making a decision very, very soon."

       By GMM

       18 March 2025 - 13:53

      Formula 1 is still in the process of determining whether it will continue to hold a collective launch for new team liveries each year. While the initiative didn't gain much favor among the drivers, the sport's newer fanbase was quite pleased with 'F1-75,' which took place at the O2 arena in London.

      "You can clearly see that young women are the demographic where the sport is expanding the most," said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. He noted that this was especially evident in the autograph area as the drivers arrived in the paddock in Melbourne. "There were around 2000 attendees, and 80 percent of them were girls," he stated with a smile, "This also indicates that the influence of younger drivers and social media is really gaining traction."

      However, it's not surprising that Red Bull—whose team principal Christian Horner and driver Max Verstappen faced booing from the O2 audience—does not favor the F1-75-style launch concept. "The 75th anniversary of Formula 1 warranted it," team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko told Servus TV, "but I find it hard to imagine doing it annually now. It was a pro-(Lewis) Hamilton crowd; you could definitely sense that."

      In fact, the FIA even released a statement denouncing the booing. "That was certainly not something we requested," Horner maintained. "I didn't have any discussions with the FIA after the event."

      F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed that no decision has been made regarding whether a similar event will occur for 2026. "There is certainly a lot of interest from various promoters around the world who would like to consider it as a 25th grand prix to kick off the season," the Italian acknowledged. "We will be making a decision very, very soon."