F175 Live was a few days ago as I’m writing this, and the internet can’t decide what to think about it.
I think the general consensus is that is was both underwhelming and better than expected. Read: it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was going to be, but it still wasn’t good. This isn’t my opinion however, I watched it from my sofa with a glass of wine and thoroughly enjoyed the unserious spectacle of it all.
Jack Whitehall was the perfect choice for the host, I think he really made the show. It needed a comedian, it needed to not take itself too seriously because the whole thing was a show for the point of being a show, not based on anything technological or strategic. Could we have seen more of the actual cars? Yes. But what fun is that compared to roasting Max Verstappen or talking about Charles Leclerc’s eyes?
A personal highlight for me was the crowd booing the FIA and Christian Horner. I’m not going to say much more about that, but it’s great to see F1 fans finally united over something instead of starting fan wars on X. Nothing brings people together like mutual loathing. Also loved Gordon Ramsey saying drivers should be allowed to swear, then swearing on live TV; I wonder if the FIA have figured out how to send him a fine yet.
And can we talk about the Alpine DJ? The music acts were interesting choices to say the least, but that was a truly baffling few minutes of my life and that shot of Flávio Briatore looking beyond confused might be one of the funniest moments of the night. I liked Tems, and MGK wasn’t as bad as I expected, but there was a serious missed opportunity to get our pop girly and Mclaren queen Tate Mcrae to perform. It’s what we all wanted, really.
The Hunger Games opening ceremony of it all was indicative of what’s to come for F1 in the future. This isn’t just racing anymore, it’s getting bigger every day and a sold-out O2 Arena proves it. Whether that’s for the better or for the worse, I’m not too sure- I think I’m leaning towards the worse but we’ll just have to see what comes next. I’m hoping for a sold out Wembley show with XNDA* headlining, Leclerc on his piano, Lawson with his guitar, and Carlos Sainz fulfilling his dream of singing Smooth Operator to an arena.
*XNDA = Lewis Hamilton’s alter ego. He featured on Pipe by Christina Aguilera and it is constantly on repeat.
Livery Ranking
Now onto the actual cars. Sure, most of them look the exact same as last year but I have some thoughts!
10. Haas
I’m sorry. I actually love Haas, I’m a big fan of Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon and will absolutely be cheering them on this season, but I can’t help how much I don’t like this livery. Extra points for all the sponsors matching the colour scheme though.
9. Stake
I wanted a full Brat-green livery. The gradient is kinda sick, but I don’t like how the back half of the car is completely devoid of colour- but I see the vision.
8. Racing Bulls
Obsessed with the mini bulls on the back. Like, if they put some more of those on this would easily be bumped up a few places. The rest of the livery is ok, I don’t hate it at all but it’s not a top-spot for me just yet.
7. Mclaren
Ok, I’m actually sorry about this one. Papaya is iconic, and this livery is still cute, but holyyyyy sponsors. There are so many of them. They are everywhere you look. There isn’t an inch of this car without a sponsor on it. Get that bag though queens!
6. Red Bull
This is the exact same as last year. Iconic but boring. Spice it up a bit, put a picture of Max Verstappen’s face on the side pod or something. I don’t know, I’m not a Red Bull fan so I would never admit that this is a good livery … but I guess it’s not completely ugly.
5. Mercedes
It pains me to say, but this is not my favourite livery. Mercedes are my favourite team, but their liveries are not usually my favourites. It’s still good and I like the little pop of Petronas green, I just wish there was more of it!
4. Alpine
Alpine actually ate with this one. Any car with pink gets my vote, and the Alpine colours are just so cute, especially in a world of boring black carbon fibre.
3. Ferrari
This could have easily been number 1, if not for that damn HP logo. How did it get worse this year? The white stripe totally ruins the vibe unfortunately, but this new shade of red is absolutely gorgeous.
2. Aston Martin
The iconic AM green. Their presentation at F175 put every other team to shame, and the livery didn’t disappoint. Has it really changed? No. Do I care? Also no.
1 … Williams
No surprises here. I never said this ranking wouldn’t be extremely biased. Any car with Carlos Sainz in the driver’s seat is the best car in my eyes. I actually love this livery though, the Duracell sponsor is incorporated so well and so creatively, Ferrari please take notes.
formula evie 
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