All to know about Formula 1’s first karting experience

The world’s first official Formula 1 karting experience announced this week (22 January) that it will be opening to the public on Tuesday 6 February 2024.  

F1 Drive — London is a new F1 experience located beneath Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’s South Stand as part of a 15-year partnership between the series and the Premier League football club.  

It runs electric karts and has gained accreditation from the National Karting Association, which means the state-of-the-art venue can be used for national championships. 

Ultimately, F1 and Spurs want to create apprenticeship and career opportunities for young people in the area and increase motorsport’s diversity.  

Before then, though, the venue must first open up to the public so here is everything to know and how you can buy tickets for it. 

When does F1 Drive open? 

F1 Drive opens to the public on Tuesday 6 February 2024 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (N17 0AP) in North London. The venue can be accessed by various modes of transport which includes the train, as it is just a five minute walk from White Hart Lane station. Reception for F1 Drive is inside the Spurs Shop where its sessions are tailored to those aged eight and above.  

When can I buy tickets for F1 Drive? 

F1 Drive tickets are on sale from Thursday 25 January 2024 at 10am via f1drivelondon.com ahead of its public opening on Tuesday 6 February. However, from today (24 January), F1 Drive’s pre-sale is available to those who have previously registered via its website, as well as Tottenham Hotspur Season Ticket Holders, One Hotspur Members, Premium Members and F1 Unlocked Members. 

Photo by: F1 DRIVE

F1 DRIVE London

How much does F1 Drive cost? 

F1 Drive offers five separate bookings which all range in price. The cheapest is the ‘sim session’ at £15 where visitors drive a racing simulator to the official F123 video game, so this booking does not involve karting. 

The cheapest session that does involve karting is the ‘rookie racers’ booking at £35 which is aimed at ages eight to 10. Meanwhile, F1 Drive’s most expensive booking is the ‘elite session’ at £85 which aims to offer the most authentic F1 experience with a podium presentation to the top three finishers. 

F1 Drive also offer gift vouchers from £20 to £150 which expire after a year, while group and corporate bookings are also available.  

How does F1 Drive compare to the actual F1? 

The karts — even though they are electric — are designed to create the most authentic F1 experience, which is evident in some of the technology. 

A Drag Reduction System (DRS) button has been fitted onto the F1 Drive steering wheel, which also features an 18cm LED display similar to what is already seen on actual F1 cars. The LED display provides data — lap times, live race position, intervals, boost level, track safety information and flag status — and updates to the driver making it unlike any other karting experience in the world. 

Meanwhile, drivers will also experience in-kart audio which are sound effects taken from onboards of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc during a grand prix. This is accompanied by a virtual race engineer and commentary from Sky Sports’ David Croft and Naomi Schiff to try and get that authentic experience.  

Depending on which circuit layout a group chooses, there is also the option to run the karting event like a grand prix weekend with practice, qualifying and the race while driver suits are F1 branded, so it promises to be the closest thing to being a professional driver yet.  

Photo by: F1 DRIVE

F1 DRIVE London

F1 Drive circuit layouts

F1 Drive offers three circuits which are designed for a range of ages and abilities. There is the ‘Future Stars’ track aimed at young drivers (aged eight to ten), which is a fast-flowing 180m, eight-turn circuit with one DRS zone. 

It starts with three quick right-handers followed by a bendy middle part of the circuit that takes drivers up to another right hander. The track then slows right down for a hairpin, before picking up the pace again for a bend that leads onto the final corner.   

The ‘Sprint Track’ is more technical than this, as it is 360m in length featuring nine corners which all differ in speed while the circuit can be taken at 85% full throttle. It also starts with two fairly quick right-handers before drivers tackle hairpins in succession, with the second one almost double the size of the first. That takes drivers into a long, left-handed bend which can be taken flat-out before a loop precedes a sudden left kink towards the end of a lap. 

A decent-sized straight is then ended by a left hairpin, before a right one soon after takes drivers towards a simple right-hander that goes onto a long main straight where DRS is available.

Parts of these two tracks are then combined to make the ‘Super Circuit’, which is 500m in length and is the most technical of the three layouts. It starts where the ‘Sprint Track’ does, but then the flat-out, left-handed bend leads onto the ‘Future Stars’ layout before rejoining the ‘Sprint Track’ at the left kink meaning the loop is absent. F1 Drive’s ‘Super Circuit’ has 17 turns, two DRS zones and 80% of the track is flat-out.  

If groups choose the ‘Super Circuit’, then this provides the opportunity for the most elite and authentic F1 experience as they will tackle the same format as a grand prix weekend starting with practice, before leading onto qualifying and the race. 

What else does F1 Drive offer? 

Although karting is traditionally seen as a pastime hobby, F1 Drive also offers one-to-one and group coaching sessions for anybody who wants to take their driving to the next level by examining data, telemetry and video to help improve lap times.  

However, F1 Drive also strives to create an unforgettable experience away from the track with the fan zone. F1 Drive’s fan zone hosts eight VR5 full-movement racing simulators, an F1 show car and an authentic memorabilia wall which includes race-worn equipment from each current F1 team. Visitors can also tackle the pit-stop challenge where a group must change tyres as quick as possible, while a shop and food plus drink options are available as well, with the menu inspired by the cuisine of various countries that F1 visits.