LUXE Serendipity magazine

By Donna Richardson

Nothing beats the adrenaline of a Grand Prix, so during the summer of the 75^th anniversary of the greatest motor race on the planet, I was thrilled to finally experience the new F1 Arcade in London.

As I walked in the atmosphere was electric, with almost 70 simulators that enable you to have a day just like Lando Norris – right in the heart of London.

On the qualifying day of The Hungarian Grand Prix, we headed to the capital, where we immediately began our five star break taking in some of London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods. We made full use of our travel cards, heading up to St John’s Wood – walking across the pedestrian crossing made famous by The Beatles and along the charming waterways of Little Venice for a bit of serenity,  before heading to the St Paul’s district for the high octane atmosphere of the F1 Arcade.

St Pauls is a trendy area, close to Fleet Street, so we stopped off for a drink in London’s oldest pub and a favourite Fleet Street haunt Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese before our session began. It felt like we had already packed a lot in, before we even began our thrilling race.

F1 AT ST PAUL’S

When we arrived at the F1 Arcade, we were taken into The Briefing Room and then after an induction handed our driving controls. I climbed into the seat, made myself comfortable and waited with anticipation.

My racing heart pounded as the clock ticked down for the race to begin. I put my foot down on the accelerator and made a strong start. I felt in control of the car and held my own for much of the race but had a few crashes along the way which put me right at the back. I was in a mini competition with my fiancé who was In pole position during the qualifier overall against other competitors and he won the second race, while I crashed and burned into 10^th place.  

It was an exhilarating experience and hungry work, so we ordered our race and refuel package which included tacos, lamb skewers and ribs as well as a bottle of prosecco.

We decided to swap the prosecco for a cocktail and a beer instead and we had a prime seat for the qualifiers.

In our eyeline was the iconic St Paul’s cathedral, adding to the glamour of the occasion and despite it being one of Lewis Hamilton’s worst races in history, it was a jovial atmosphere and everyone celebrated for McLaren instead. The next day, we hopped on the train from Euston up to the other venue in Birmingham, where the atmosphere was just as lively, and we saw Mclaren dominate the race and Lando Norris top the podium.