Formula 1 team car launches are an exciting time of year for those who follow the sport. After about 3 months of no action since the last race in Abu Dhabi in November, we finally get glimpses of new liveries, new drivers, and new car details; A refreshing reminder that the first race of the new year is only about a month away now and testing is even closer.
Since I live in the US, I’ve always kept up with car launches through things Twitter, Reddit, and team websites. Thanks to being 6 hours behind Europe, the launches are always in the odd hours of the morning for me so I’d wake up, make a cup of coffee, and take in the new cars through my computer screen. This year though, I woke up in a very cold and snowy Toronto, had a quick coffee, grabbed my cameras, and walked two blocks from my Airbnb to the Toronto Convention Center to photograph the first F1 car launch in North America.
After indulging in some breakfast and a couple more cups of coffee, everyone started heading down to the John Bassett Theatre for the beginning of the launch. I claimed my corner on the media platform sandwiched between two videographers.
David Croft, the familiar voice of Formula 1 commentary, hosted the launch. He came out to give a quick timeline of the day for us, and shortly after the curtain pulled back with the car draped under a sheet and a team intro video started playing showing off their new name for 2019.
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer and technical director Andrew Green came out on stage next to give some words about the team and the new sponsors and partners they picked up. It’s very impressive and commendable that the team went from going into administration and almost collapsing in 2018, to securing stable funding and sponsorship for 2019. All without a single job being lost. 2019 gives Racing Point the opportunity to develop the car throughout the year, something they haven’t been able to do before. Otmar has podiums, and maybe even a win in the team’s sights for 2019.
Out come the drivers for 2019, Sergio Perez and new-to-the-team Lance Stroll. Before the launch, lots of people were wondering if the team would carry over their iconic pink livery into 2019 and the bright pink overalls they were sporting all but confirmed it.
Then came the big moment, the reveal of the 2019 challenger.
After the launch and driver Q&A wrapped up, press were invited to the very front of the stage to get a more up close and personal look at the car. It’s pretty rare to see F1 drivers and especially a car outside of a racetrack, so huge props to Racing Point for bringing both right to the fans in their backyard like they did.
After a quick break for lunch, the drivers met with fans to take photos and sign autographs in front of the car. This gave me a chance to explore the car even closer and get some new angles.
I’m incredibly glad I could cover a launch like this in person, and Racing Point F1 couldn’t have provided better hospitality throughout the day. Hopefully we’ll see pink, white, and blue become a regular on the podium this year.