{"id":413833,"date":"2025-09-10T18:48:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T18:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/413833\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T18:48:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T18:48:11","slug":"race-real-formula-1-tracks-at-this-immersive-bar-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/413833\/","title":{"rendered":"Race Real Formula 1 Tracks at This Immersive Bar Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\"F1<\/p>\n

Photo: F1 Arcade Denver<\/p>\n

F1 Arcade is the world\u2019s first officially licensed Formula 1 experiential venue, blending the thrill of professional-grade racing simulators with high-end food, cocktails, and race watch parties. Started in London in 2022 and now expanding rapidly across the United States, it transforms the idea of an \u201carcade bar\u201d into competitive socializing where guests can race on true-to-reality F1 tracks, dine on globally inspired dishes, and gather for everything from early-morning Grand Prix watch parties to late nights out.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s newest location, its fourth in the US, opened near where I live in Denver<\/a> in September. It\u2019s housed in three interconnected buildings. The oldest dates back a century and shows its bricks. In the middle of the 15,000-square-foot space sits a wraparound bar that wouldn\u2019t look out of place in a movie with modern Gatsby-level glamor. TVs showing races and race highlights fit between neon light fixtures that evoke a Formula 1 track. An outside patio takes advantage of Denver\u2019s famous sunny days. On the patio wall, a planned mural from Denver artist Ally Grimm<\/a> will help the space fit into its surroundings in the eclectic art neighborhood of RiNo. <\/p>\n

During a preview before the official Denver opening, my first impression was that F1 Arcade could easily be mistaken for a racing-themed cocktail lounge if not for the 69 F1 driving simulators that filled the rest of the space. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is F1 all year round, but you don\u2019t have to be into it to have a blast,\u201d Liz Norris, the executive overseeing F1 Arcade\u2019s US launch, told me as we walk through the space. <\/p>\n

The concept is the first venue of its kind officially licensed by F1. That means access and attention to detail so everything matches the real circuit on seven tracks, with more to come. Suzuka, Silverstone, Singapore, Monza \u2014 they\u2019re all there, laser-scanned down to the curbs. A single track in the game can take almost a year to develop, with attention to detail that extends to regularly updated sponsor logos on the track walls, the drivers for each team, and more. The simulators run on the rFactor 2 racing platform (from Studio 397, part of Motorsport Games), and I felt zoned into the race when I sat in the driver\u2019s seat. <\/p>\n

Wraparound 4K displays, haptic pedals, and force-feedback steering replicate every vibration, bump, and crash. You shake, you crash, you spin out. It\u2019s visceral. I couldn\u2019t help but think of the movie Gran Turismo and the real-world story behind it when Jann Mardenborough took his video game obsession and turned it into a racing career. Rather than give me any F1 driver dreams of my own, it showed me just how hard \u2014 and fun \u2014 this sport is.<\/p>\n

Norris emphasized the constant updating going on in the background. When a team changes its livery, a driver leaves and new driver joins, or rules shift, \u201cit\u2019s a full-on process\u201d to refresh the system, she says. \u201cWe\u2019re constantly working with [F1] to try and stay ahead, but sometimes you\u2019ll catch a glimpse of history \u2014 like a driver who just left yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guests can go head-to-head in small duels or split into teams of four or more, which turns the arcade into a kind of motorsport party.<\/p>\n

\"F1<\/p>\n

Photo: F1 Arcade Denver<\/p>\n

Boston, Washington DC, and Philadelphia opened in the US ahead of Denver, and Las Vegas is on deck. It feels like an unsustainably fast expansion. Then again, it\u2019s partnered with a sport known for seemingly unsustainable speed. <\/p>\n

That same attention to detail carries into the food and drink. Instead of wings and mozzarella sticks, the menu borrows from Formula 1\u2019s globetrotting paddock: spicy ahi tuna tartare, brisket tacos, oysters, and flatbreads. LP O\u2019Brien \u2014 a Netflix Drink Masters winner \u2014 oversees the beverage program, while Denver bartender Alex Jump collaborated on hometown-inspired cocktails. There\u2019s the Montequilla, a Casa Bonita riff on the French 75 with tequila and brown butter; the Undercut Collins, named after F1 stunt driver Ben Collins that uses a Four Noses Brewing IPA and grapefruit aromatics; the Blucifer Bolt, a bourbon-absinthe nod to Denver\u2019s infamous airport statue; and the show-stopping VIP Pass, a mezcal-bourbon hybrid that\u2019s an inspirational mashup of a Pornstar Martini and a New York Sour, available at all the locations.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a taste of the F1 experience brought to a town that won\u2019t see an actual race outside of a screen. \u201cIt\u2019s not your average sports bar,\u201d Norris says. \u201cYou can experience a little bit of what it would feel like to be in the paddock club.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who want to take their F1 experience farther, Norris gave me her top three tracks fans and soon-to-be fans should visit that are featured on the simulators.<\/p>\n

Silverstone in England<\/p>\n

\"SILVERSTONE,<\/p>\n

Photo: Jay Hirano<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Silverstone is where the Formula 1 championship began, hosting the very first World Championship Grand Prix in 1950. For Norris, the track is more than just historic, it\u2019s a festival. \u201cHaving British drivers, helicopters flying overhead, and the parties around the weekend \u2014 it feels like the ultimate experience,\u201d she told me. Concerts by big-name acts run late into the night, while fans camp or glamp in the fields surrounding the circuit. The race itself delivers high-speed drama through corners like Maggots and Becketts, but for travelers it\u2019s also a cultural trip: you can tack on a few days in nearby London or Oxford, blending British summer vibes with motorsport heritage.<\/p>\n

Monza in Italy<\/p>\n

\"Monza,<\/p>\n

Photo: cristiano barni<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Known as the \u201cTemple of Speed,\u201d Monza is where Formula 1\u2019s Italian culture screams loudest. Norris lights up when she talks about it \u2014 not only because she\u2019s a lifelong Ferrari fan, but because she\u2019s been there, walked the track, and felt the energy of the Tifosi firsthand. \u201cIt\u2019s probably the most interesting, amazing culture,\u201d she said. \u201cThe food was incredible \u2014 I think I ate my body weight in Italian food that weekend, with Aperol spritz and negronis. And it\u2019s affordable, too. You have people on picnic blankets with radios, drinking Italian beer.\u201d Staying in Milan means fans can mix high fashion and art with the raw atmosphere of Monza, where Ferrari red floods the grandstands.<\/p>\n

Suzuka in Japan<\/p>\n

\"Lando<\/p>\n

Photo: QIAN JUN<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

If Silverstone is history and Monza is passion, Suzuka is obsession. \u201cI am properly obsessed with Japan,\u201d Norris said. \u201cIf I could go every year and sustain the 12-to-14-hour flight, I\u2019d be happy.\u201d The track itself is one of the most demanding in the sport: a figure-eight of rapid-fire corners where even pros struggle. Suzuka is also timed with cherry blossom season, making it one of the most picturesque stops on the championship calendar. Norris recommends combining the race with time spent in Tokyo: izakayas hidden behind language barriers, sushi and wagyu worth the trip alone, and the heady mix of tradition and nightlife that makes Japan a dream destination. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be one of the top,\u201d she said. \u201cDrinking Asahi, eating the best food in the world, and then watching drivers take corners at 80 miles an hour \u2014 nothing compares.\u201d <\/p>\n

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