You can now get your F1 fix with the F1 Exhibition in London

The F1 Exhibition - which you may remember opened in Madrid last year - has come to London, with its doors set to open at the ExCel on Friday until the end of 2024.

Visitors will get to see a host of historic cars up close, including Max Verstappen’s 2021 title-winning RB16, Lewis Hamilton’s 2018 W09, the 1988 McLaren MP4/4, plus the 1961 ‘Sharknose’ Ferrari 156, 1970 Lotus 72, and 1981 Williams FW07-C.

The show is divided up into several rooms, covering the history of the sport, aerodynamic design, innovations and modern technology and oodles of artefacts in the shape of helmets, race suits… you get the idea.

Romain Grosjean’s burnt-out chassis from that horrific crash in Bahrain is also on display in a section called ‘Survival’, and the grand finale is a six-minute audio-visual “extravaganza” dubbed ‘The Pit Wall’ that whisks viewers through 74 years of the sport.

Naturally, there’s also one of those digital photo thingies like you get at the Empire State Building that’ll Photoshop you and your cohort into a picture of Silverstone. Oh, and an audio guide: pretending that you’re Bono (not that Bono) yelling “Get in there Lewis!” through the headset is optional. And much encouraged.

“With seven of the sport’s greatest race cars, new artefacts, displays and interactive experiences, the London show promises to be our best yet,” said curator Timothy Harvey. “We hope the story of Formula 1 continues to inspire new audiences and remain hugely grateful to all the drivers, F1 teams and private collectors who continue to support the project.”

Tickets are £14 for children and £25 for adults, plus booking fee… so £16 and £30. There’s a bank of race simulators where you can compete for the chance to win tickets to the British Grand Prix in 2025, but that costs extra. And you can only do it if you’re 12 or older.

TG had a poke around the exhibition before it opened to the public, and if you’re into your F1 and you’re prepared to take in all the detail then it’s probably worth a visit. But if you only want to mooch around the cars and read the odd display, you’ll probably make short work of what's there. Just FYI. Better than traipsing around the Tate Modern though, right?