“I Don’t Think He Was Doing Anything With Those Knobs”: Ex-DJ Calls Out Brian Tyler on F1 75 Performance

American composer Brian Tyler—the man behind F1’s revered theme song, The Chain—performed at the F1 75 event in front of a packed audience at London’s O2 Arena.

While his performance was a spectacle for many fans, some were less impressed—including a former DJ who now works as an F1 photographer.

Veteran photojournalist Kym Illman, who revealed on his YouTube channel that he used to be a DJ in the past, criticized Tyler for merely acting the part, suggesting that the 52-year-old composer didn’t put much effort into his performance.

“I’m not sure he was actually doing anything with those knobs he was twiddling on that deck,” the Australian photographer claimed. “I thought it felt a little bit short.” And Illman wasn’t the only one.

What you MISSED at the F1 LAUNCH EVENT
Photo credit: Getty imageshttps://t.co/xE6iokTqy9#f1 #formula1 #f12025 #f1news #f1content #formel1 #f1tickets #f12025 #f1live #f175 #F1SeasonLaunch

— Kym Illman (@KymIllman) February 19, 2025

Almost every big name in F1 was present at the O2 on Tuesday, including Flavio Briatore, one of Alpine’s chief advisors.

Illman noted that Briatore “looked a bit confused by it when they [the cameras] cut to him.”

The panning to confused faces is this The Office? #F175LIVE pic.twitter.com/yArNAzStOY

— The Fast And The Curious (@fastcuriouspod) February 18, 2025

A disappointing performance overall from a man who composed music so powerful that it gets fans’ adrenaline pumping before every race. But was the entire F1 75 event a flop? Did other performances also fail to impress?

Naomi Schiff praises Tems for her performance

Aston Martin delivered one of the evening’s biggest surprises by featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Tems during their livery launch. Unveiling the AMR25 to the iconic James Bond theme, Tems provided live vocals, performing some of her singles, including Burning.

Her performance caught the eye of F1 presenter Naomi Schiff, who revealed in one of her Instagram stories that the Nigerian singer’s set was the highlight of her night.

Another performance that stood out for F1 fans was by American country singer Kane Brown, who sang his hit song Miles On It. He performed just ahead of Haas’ car launch. Since Haas is an American team, they ensured their launch had a full American theme.