Whatever you thought of F1 75 Live, the show undoubtedly whet the appetite for a new Formula 1 season that is less than a month away.
All 10 teams have now shown off their new paintjobs for the new season. And the cars themselves will be breaking cover in Bahrain testing next week, which should give us our first indication of what the balance of power on the grid looks like at the start of 2025.
Before the two-hour show that was broadcast live around the world, there are several hours of media sessions that were not. Nine of the 10 teams took part with their drivers and team principals speaking to reporters, with Ferrari the only ones who skipped that portion of the day.
Mirror Sport was present at what was essentially the first media day of another long season, and was keeping a particularly keen ear out for some of the more unusual exchanges and moments as F1 stars fulfilled their media commitments. Here’s some of the best of what we heard:
One of the more eye-catching stories of the winter was the report of a £1billion contract being offered to Max Verstappen by Aston Martin, in a desperate bid to persuade him to quit Red Bull. Naturally, the claim has been laughed off by sources on all sides.
But it was brought up with the Dutchman himself during an on-the-record session with UK national media, in a cosy meeting room at the Intercontinental Hotel next to the O2 Arena. One reporter wore a smirk as they pointed out that Aston’s Silverstone base is “not far from Milton Keynes, if you had to commute”.
Quick as a flash, and with a smile to match, Verstappen replied to point out that it was hardly as simple as that. “Yeah, but I live in Monaco, so it doesn’t really matter to me – even if it’s in Timbuktu,” was his retort, which sparked plenty of laughter in the room.
Despite not being one of the most prominent drivers on the grid, Yuki Tsunoda has earned himself a large and very loyal following over the few years he has been racing in F1. He’s a very quick and fiery racer, but people love him most for his very endearing and affable personality.
That was on show during the Racing Bulls press conference segment when, naturally, he was quizzed about the FIA’s clampdown on swearing. Tsunoda is no stranger to turning the air blue inside the cockpit of his car when he’s frustrated about something.
But he knows he needs to rein that in this year and seems to have come up with a new system to help him do that. “I’ll try not to fudge up so that I don’t get fined,” he said, sparking laughter in the room and amusing thousands of fans on social media.
Racing stars who can tear along at 200mph but who aren’t allowed to drive a road car are a classic of the genre when it comes to reporting on young motorsport stars. Last month, new Mercedes racer Andrea Kimi Antonelli revealed that he had only just passed his driving test, aged 18.
His Formula 2 team-mate from last year Oliver Bearman was not in the same boat, having traded in his L plates in 2022. But when speaking to media on Tuesday he revealed that he had failed his first test, before immediately regretting having shared that information, sighing as he said: “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
He was right – Bearman was then probed on the details of his failed test, which revealed that he had taken it without having paid for a single lesson. He confirmed that he was failed for not complying with a stop sign, though he insisted: “I didn’t blow it, I slowed down… I meant to stop.” Of course you did, Ollie…
Acting superstar Timothee Chalamet is everywhere these days. Aged just 29, he’s already one of the biggest stars in Hollywood having, in recent years, starred in blockbuster movies like Dune and Wonka, and is nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of music legend Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
There were plenty of celebrities at the O2 Arena on Tuesday, though Chalamet was not one of them. But Liam Lawson thought for a second that he might have been, mistaking one journalist for the French-American actor.
Indeed, he broke off mid-way through answering a question to point out the resemblance to the journalist. And when he left the room at the end of the session, the new Red Bull racer said to the reporter: “Goodbye, Timothee!” All good fun.
It wasn’t all fun and games in the media sessions, though. One particularly hairy moment came when both Alpine drivers were speaking in a press conference and, somewhat inevitably, rookie Jack Doohan faced a barrage of questions about the fact his team have signed Franco Colapinto as a reserve after his impressive nine-race stint for Williams last year.
At first, he answered cordially, saying: “I’ve been told that he’s the reserve driver. You’re always going to have pressure on your shoulders because you’re in such a cut-throat sport. Whatever pressure there may be, I look forward to embracing it and just enjoying my Formula 1 season.”
But when another reporter pressed him on the subject and asked if he felt “undermined” by Alpine, Doohan snapped. “Was that a question?” he asked belligerently, before pointing out: “I was a 21-year-old reserve driver last year with a long-term contract. Maybe I should [feel undermined]? I don’t know. I don’t really understand that as a question. But definitely not.”
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