Tickets for the event at London’s o2 Arena next February sold out on the venue’s official website sold out within minutes of going on sale and were soon popping up on resale sites.
Tickets for Formula 1’s 2025 season launch event in London sold out within minutes on Friday.
And fans were left fuming as resale tickets immediately began to appear online at a much higher price. Tickets went on sale at 10am on Friday for the launch event which will see all 10 teams and 20 drivers make an appearance on February 18, to mark the beginning of the 75th edition of the F1 championship.
Tickets for the event were priced between £58 and £113, including booking fees, during the sale through the o2 Arena website. But clearly there was huge demand as many fans soon took to social media to report that they had sold out.
Fans took to social media to vent their frustration. One wrote: “Waited over an hour for F1 75 tickets only to be told they are all sold out.” Another said: “Wanted to check out the prices for the F1 75 event. The page didn’t let me get in with my home Wi-Fi for some reason, had to use mobile data. Waited in the queue for an hour only to see that all the tickets have been sold out.”
A third poster: “I tried to get those F1 75 season launch and team reveal event tickets but got through the queue to buy the tickets, but the whole website fell a part and I failed to get some.” And a fourth asked: “Did anyone actually managed to get the F1 75 ticket?”
To further ruin people’s moods, it was not long before tickets began to reappear on resale sites such as Viagogo at a premium price. Mirror Sport found standing room tickets being sold for £292 each, some lower-tier seats being offered at prices between £411 and £890. One ticket spotted was being resold for an eye-watering £1,198.
Mirror Sport understands many of the ‘seats’ on offer on those resale websites do not even exist, and that tickets not bought through the o2 Arena’s own resale portal will not be valid. It is also understood that there are plans for the event to be broadcast live, though plans for that have yet to be announced.
An F1 spokesperson said: “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 theo2.co.uk or via AXS Official Resale.”
For those lucky enough to have snagged tickets, F1 chiefs promise they will be “immersed in the drama and spectacle that is Formula 1, as they join the teams to unveil their 2025 liveries and the upcoming season’s driver line-ups”.
Interviews with big names within the sport are also planned along with appearances from “special guest presenters”. The show, which takes place between 8-10pm, will be produced by the same group of people who put together the opening and closing ceremonies for last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Chief executive Stefano Domenicali said: “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.
“With 2025 set to be a classic season following all the drama so far in 2024, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans of all ages to experience up-close the incredible entertainment spectacle that is Formula 1.”
