F1 issues statement over fraudulent resale of tickets of the 2025 season launch
F1 has released a statement addressing the illegal resale of tickets for their first launch event of 2025. They have advised F1 fans to buy tickets only from the official O2 Arena website, where the event will be held.
Earlier this month, F1 announced that they will host their first season-launch event, featuring all 10 teams and 20 drivers, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the sport. F1 added that they are planning to ask every team to reveal their respective liveries in the event itself, something that has never been done before. The event will also have other entertainment segments to hype the fans even more.
After a limited pre-sale on Thursday, November 14, tickets went on sale on Friday morning. The O2 Arena has a capacity of nearly 20,000, some of which will be reserved for VIPs like stakeholders, team seniors, etc.
After tickets were sold out on the official O2 website, some tickets were found to be sold online for significantly higher prices on unofficial websites. The sport also discovered some of those ticket resales were fraudulent. F1 was quick to address the issue. Their statement said tickets purchased through an unofficial resale website will not be accepted at the event.
“We are aware that a few tickets for our season launch event at The O2 have been listed on unofficial resale websites. We can confirm that this is against the terms and conditions of sale and that any tickets bought through an unofficial resale platform are not valid for entry. Working with The O2 we have also identified that a number of the listings are fraudulent. We advise all our fans to only buy tickets through http://theo2.co.uk or via AXS Official Resale,” the statement read (via The Race on X).
F1 CEO thrilled for the sport's first launch event in 2025
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali shared his thoughts on the first-ever launch event of 2025. This event was specially planned to celebrate the sport's 75th anniversary.
Speaking about the event and the 2025 season, the F1 CEO wished for the drama and thrill from 2024 to continue to the next season. He explained how all 20 drivers will feature in the launch event, hyping the start of the next season.
“For the first time we will bring together our fans, all 20 superstars of our sport and some very special guests to officially kick off our new season and mark our 75th year of racing,” Domenicali said (via the official website).
“With 2025 set to be a classic season following all the drama so far for 2024, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans of all ages to experience up-close the incredible entertainment spectacle that is Formula 1,” he added.
The first F1 launch event will be held in O2 Arena on February 18, 2025.