F1 Arcade: London spot where you pay £100 to taste Formula 1 lifestyle
With Formula 1’s rapid fandom rise, it was only a matter of time before you paid £100 to watch an F1 race down at your local. Matt Hardy takes a look at F1 Arcade.
The seemingly sudden rise in Formula 1 interest among non-petrol heads has been nothing short of astonishing.
In its 75th year the motor racing series is no longer being passed down by many (then) fathers to their sons through a commitment of hours in front of the television on a Sunday afternoon. Instead female interest is through the roof – recent data says 40 per cent of F1 fans are women and the female 18-24-year-old demographic represents the fastest-growing sector of the fanbase – and, partly down to racer celebrity and Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the audience has never felt so diverse.
But how far can Formula 1 take this new-found fame and run with it?
Last month City AM traversed across the Square Mile to One New Change, home of the F1 Arcade.
A vibrant sports bar-style venue packed with tables, data monitors and high-end simulators, F1 Arcade is looking to capture the new breed of fan, and commercialise it.
Since opening in 2022 it has averaged 6,000 guests a week, topping over 850,000 in total.
“Formula 1 no longer lives in the rarified air of the dedicated fans,” F1 Arcade co-founder Ollie Raison tells City AM. “It lives in WhatsApp groups, Instagram comments, sim rigs, and memes — online content is its base camp.
“That shift, from sport to cultural obsession, is the reason F1 Arcade could exist in the first place. Because 10 years ago, not enough people wanted to feel like an F1 driver. Now? Everyone does.”
F1 Arcade rivalries
It’s true. Having been shunted from behind by a balding 50-year-old while simulating the opening lap at Monza, the urge to get to the next race and return the favour was palpable.
Beating friends and strangers filled the sometimes boring bits of a Formula 1 race, which was being screened at the same time.
Tickets start at £39 – general admission – but rise to £110 for a selection of free food on the table and a bucket of booze, which was consistently topped up.
A full room? 100 per cent. And with an expansion franchise in Birmingham, F1 Arcade is throwing its weight behind the recent push into North America – which will next year be home to Cadillac’s entry onto the grid.
It will open three venues in 2025 – Philadelphia, Denver and F1 host city Las Vegas (at Caesars Palace) – and will expand to a further three US cities thereafter.
Expansion
“F1 Arcade is continuing its global expansion,” Raison adds, “with new venues planned across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
“With an ambitious plan to open 30 locations globally by 2027, the brand currently operates venues in London, Birmingham, Boston, and D.C, and will additionally unveil venues in Philadelphia, Denver, Las Vegas, and Atlanta.
“The ongoing expansion follows a 2024 growth financing raise with $130m commitments by Cheyne Capital, Liberty Media Corporation, Permira Credit and OakNorth, and is supported by additional backing from high-profile investors including F1 driver Lando Norris.
“F1 now isn’t just about lap times, it’s about belonging to a fandom that lets you scream at screens like it’s the World Cup. It’s emotional, tribal, even a little ridiculous in the best way.
“And we lean into that. We don’t say ‘we bring you closer to the action’, that’s not enough. We are the action. We’re what it feels like to be a dedicated or casual fan with F1 in 2025.
“That shift, from passive viewership to active immersion, isn’t slowing down.”
It may have been the arancini and the bubbly, but the immersive experience of watching F1 with those who care on a surface level and those with intricate knowledge was a refreshing change from the sofa.
And F1 Arcade certainly seems to be leaning into a new breed of sports fandom, where being in the arenas – albeit far away – just doesn’t matter as much as it used to. The experience exists to fill the void, or most of it anyway, and that’s the genius of it.