The F1 75 livery launch event in London has signalled the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
All 20 F1 drivers have been confirmed and we now know exactly how each car is going to look when it takes to the track at the Australian Grand Prix.
However, there are still plenty of unknowns before the lights go out in Melbourne.
Next week’s pre-season testing event in Bahrain will start to give fans a clue of which teams have nailed their winter development cycles, and which teams need to go back to the drawing board.
Mercedes are one of the most intriguing prospects heading into 2025 with a new driver pairing and plenty of unanswered questions about their car after finding the most recent era of Formula 1 tricky.
Team principal Toto Wolff had potentially the trickiest decision in the paddock last year when he had to try and find a replacement for Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton and George Russell formed a strong partnership over the past three seasons, however, they’ve never had a car capable of challenging Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
Russell will hope that changes in 2025 and has a new starlet in Andrea Kimi Antonelli alongside him to try and bridge the gap to the leading manufacturers.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli already building relationships during the F1 75 event
Antonelli is one of six drivers entering their first full F1 seasons – even if Oliver Bearman thinks it’s ‘harsh’ he’s not considered a rookie – but has by far the most excitement surrounding him.
He’s been placed immediately in a team that will expect to be challenging for victories and his incredible junior record is one of the main reasons why he’s been propelled into the spotlight by the Silver Arrows.
Antonelli is a very likeable character as his reception in the arena proved when he received a large cheer before he spoke.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Behind the scenes, journalist Frederic Ferret spotted Antonelli doing something that his team principal would have loved.
He said: “When Kimi Antonelli introduces himself to… all… the journalists present at the launch day.”
Quand Kimi Antonelli se présente à … tous… les journalistes présents à la journée de lancement pic.twitter.com/8zX3ThlE8w
— Frédéric Ferret (@FredericFerret) February 19, 2025
The 18-year-old building up a strong relationship with the media won’t do him any harm if it takes him a bit of time to get up to speed this year.
Antonelli has done plenty of testing in the build-up to his debut, but it won’t be known how fast he is until he can be compared to Russell.
What Toto Wolff, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli said during F1 75 livery event
Mercedes were the seventh team to show off their new car in 2025, and after a short video, they wheeled out their new machine and did a tyre change before showing off a livery that looked very similar to last year.
Team principal Wolff then said: “Congrats to F1, this is really a new milestone, such an amazing event how you [have] set it up.
“Great for Formula 1 and hopefully all of you enjoy it. Mercedes has a long history, the first-ever Mercedes that was built was a race car and only then the road car.
“It’s an unbelievable honour to carry the baton from the great people that were before us and are going to be after us.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Team leader Russell was then asked about the event and explained: “It’s so special to see what F1 is doing every single time we come to these new events.
“It’s a super exciting season ahead.”
Presenting… our livery for the 2025 season 🤩 pic.twitter.com/0v0u9J3BsS
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 18, 2025
Finally, Antonelli, who received a very good reception from the crowd, was asked about the pressure and privilege of racing for Mercedes and representing Italy and said: “It’s incredible to see so many of you here tonight.
“I mean, it’s a privilege to be where I am today, and it’s a great opportunity.
“I’ve got the right support from Mercedes and I’m really working on myself, trying to develop and prepare in the best way possible.
“I’ll make sure I make the best out of this opportunity.”
Mercedes fans will be desperate for Antonelli to maximise the chance he’s been given and Wolff will be delighted that he’s already building a relationship with the media ahead of taking to the track for the first time in public in 2025.
