F1 Arcade watchparty review -
Cost: £39
Entry one hour before race starts - although, it clearly allows entry before - we got there at 16:45 (so 15 mins early) and we bagged the last table available, so get there early! Note: seats at General Admission level (the £39 entry) are not guaranteed.
Simulators were really fun. They turn on at 5pm (or an hour before the race, depending which one you go to) - and range from rookie to pro settings level, so anyone can have a good go at it. I wasn't very good but it was really enjoyable, best driving simulator I've ever been on for sure (far superior to usual arcades that you might find on the likes of Bournemouth pier, for example). There are also a few other games including a reaction test game and one called lights out but I didn't see what you actually have to do. There were generally a few people waiting at each time - the races last around 6-7 minutes and some people would do a couple in a row but because people were waiting around this was rare. Worth standing waiting to ensure you get on rather than necessarily waiting for one to become free, but there are a lot of simulators there, so you will certainly get to have a go!
There was an MC, who was pretty good at hyping people up (although obviously this is a very different crowd to fans of some other sports so it's never rowdy) - but it was Sky Sports F1 on TV and the commentary (as well as subtitles) was played out loud. There were ample screens for viewing - and I must say it is really good to have been in the atmosphere of lots of other fans without actually going to the GP in person, or having to make do with one pub screen showing the race if we're lucky.
For those who are considering going, if you don't want to pay £39 for the watch party, there are sessions where you can just use the simulators and this is from £15. At the watch party, prices rise steeply if you want to get more out of it. There is the option to sit at the 'pit wall' - i.e. "A front row seat of our large viewing screen and live data from the race track straight through to your exclusive Pit Wall screen. Includes a glass of Ferrari Trento." (From the F1 arcade website.) We had a look at these seats - this is certainly something to do if you are super interested in the technical side of the race, getting all the individual statistics about the cars and drivers coming through. It looks really interesting but it's not something that I'd be looking to do right now. This costs £69.
You can also go for Grandstand - this costs £109 each, but you do get a seat allocated, drinks (and sharing plates) included and 'exclusive viewing area' (although do note that everyone has to walk through this viewing area to get to the loos!).
I would probably go again but certainly not every week - a little bit too expensive for me to be able to afford that right now! Good atmosphere and if the championship was going right down to the wire I reckon I'd be there more often for sure.
I've been and thought that while the prices are what we expect from this sport, the quality of the food, drink and service was great.
Pro tip though, if staff see you ordering on the QR code they will come over and offer to take your order, but won't tell you they add 15% service charge.
This was great advice. The service was bordering on over-attentive, we were asked if we would like any drinks 3 times within a couple of minutes of sitting down. Ordered food (which was great) on the QR code and indeed saved money so thanks for this, I wouldn't have even realised!
Do let us know what you think - it's on my to do list at some point.
Do give it a go - there's nothing else like this in London or elsewhere at the moment (although I think F1 Arcade is opening a second location in Birmingham soon).
www.independent.co.uk
