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Max Verstappen’s gaining on me. I can see it in the way his single-seater Formula 1 race car rides my slipstream on the straightaway, trailing closely behind to boost his speed. Before I know it, he’s not following—he’s flying.
As we near a hairpin turn, Verstappen attempts to overtake me but overcorrects for the corner. His wheels lose traction, the car spins out, I pump my fist in triumph—before McLaren driver Lando Norris whizzes past us to the victory podium. A defeat like that warrants another lap, or two, or five. Luckily at F1 Arcade, Las Vegas’ newest racing playground, more than 80 simulators are ready to feed that need.
Liz Norris, vice president of launch strategy and communications for F1 Arcade, helped open London’s first location in 2022. The experiential hospitality brand has since opened U.S. outposts in Boston, Washington, D.C., Denver and Philadelphia. When Las Vegas’ 21,000-square-foot version at the Forum Shops at Caesars opens on October 17, it’ll be the largest F1 Arcade in the country.
Here are five reasons why it’s the ultimate adrenaline rush for racing fans.
1. It’s the closest you’ll ever get to the track.
F1 Arcade spared no expense in designing a simulator that could put fans in the driver’s seat of a real-life racing experience.
“These sims are built specifically for us in consultation with Formula 1. This is what a driver would feel when they are practicing without the G-force on,” Norris says. “You will get up to speeds of over 200 miles an hour. You will feel their full motion. If you go off the actual track, you will vibrate. You can even flip the car, and you will feel that.”
The steering wheels are modeled after real F1 wheels, and the eight in-game tracks are based on real speedways like Austin’s Circuit of the Americas or the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.
“The beauty is, you can’t do this anywhere else,” Norris says. “We have all of this as our own design. The game is ours as well,” she says. “This isn’t stuff that you can play on PlayStation.”
2. It’s for every kind of race fan.
F1 Arcade is social gaming at its finest. The sims’ dual screens allow competitors to monitor their driving while spectators root them on in the race. You can race against AI or friends on five difficulty levels, from beginner to elite, which gives seasoned drivers full control—no assists, no traction control.
Norris says F1 Arcade is many people’s first introduction to Formula 1, and the space isbuilt with that in mind. There’s also reaction-based reflex games to play if you don’t want to get behind the wheel. Attention to detail is everywhere, from the chandeliers that resemble racetracks to the walls featuring tire marks.
Children ages 7 and up can race, but after 7 p.m., F1 Arcade becomes a 21-and-older venue, with DJs spinning nightly. Head-to-head races start at $26, and race points you accumulate can even lead to prizes, such as being entered to win a Grand Prix ticket.
3. The food and beverage are worth a pit stop.
F1 Arcade takes its dining and drinking just as seriously as its driving. Lauren “LP” O’Brien of Netflix’s Drink Masters, created a globally inspired beverage menu of signature F1 cocktails and mocktails. The arcade also boasts an impressive dining menu, featuring burgers, flatbreads, ahi tuna tartare and flat iron steaks. Take it out on the Strip terrace for an outdoor dining experience with an unbeatable view.
4. The greats respect it.
Norris says F1 Arcade has also naturally attracted pros like Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, McLaren’s Lando Norris (an investor) and the stars of the F1 movie. “One of my favorite days of work was when Brad Pitt came into our London location,” she says. “He was with Damson [Idris] and they raced against each other. And they loved it.”
5. It’s the home base for F1 watch parties.
As Formula 1’s Grand Prix in Austin kicks off on October 17-19, F1 Arcade will host watch parties, starting at $59 and with unlimited sim racing before the event begins. It’s a place to watch the race, compete with friends and make new memories with your F1 family.
“The fact that we are a venue for F1 all year round, we’re seeing the growth of the audience, and we love that,” Norris says. “This is where people who are either big fans, or just getting into it, can be part of a tribe.”
F1 ARCADE Forum Shops at Caesars, 725-724-3131, f1arcade.com. Monday–Thursday, noon–midnight; Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-midnight.
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