RACING ARCADE HEADED TO THE SEAPORT

A new arcade coming to the Seaport next year will cater to Bostonians who have a need for speed. F1 Arcade will bring its racing-simulation-meets-cocktail-bar concept to 87 Pier 4 Boulevard next March, the London-based company announced Wednesday. It will be the first US location of the high-tech venture — a spinoff of the popular motorsport — which plans to open 20-plus stateside over the next five years, according to a press release. “The success of the London venue so far has been incredible, and we are excited to see the F1 Arcade project continue to grow as it hits the US, starting in Boston,” said Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of Formula 1, which licenses the arcade. The 16,000-square-foot venue will offer 69 racing simulators outfitted with motion and audiovisual effects, which patrons will be able to ‘drive’ individually, in teams, or with the entire venue on a range of digital Grand Prix tracks. Mixologist Peter Vestinos will head up the cocktail bar, and the upscale menu will boast dishes like sea bass ceviche and Wagyu beef burgers. The flagship London location, which opened in 2022, also hosts watch parties for the real-life races. F1 will be the latest in a spate of experiential retail locales to set up shop in the Seaport in the last few years. The high-tech darts bar Flight Club debuted at 60 Seaport Blvd. in 2019, the ping pong social club SPIN followed in 2021, and Puttshack, the neon-drenched, immersive mini golf “experience,” debuted last October. (F1 Arcade founder Adam Breeden also cofounded Flight Club and Puttshack.)