F1 Exhibition at Excel
Discussion
Just seen this advertised, I think I’ll take the boy along for a look.
https://f1exhibition.com/london/
Looks pretty good.
https://f1exhibition.com/london/
Looks pretty good.
StevieBee said:
Yep. heading down there.
I wouldn't hang around, though. Had to change the dates for the tickets we had and there weren't many decent choices left. All the F1 simulator tickets are gone.
Right! That's a job for tonight then!I wouldn't hang around, though. Had to change the dates for the tickets we had and there weren't many decent choices left. All the F1 simulator tickets are gone.
Thanks for the heads up.
Edited by Sixpackpert on Friday 2nd August 18:49
StevieBee said:
All the F1 simulator tickets are gone.
As far as I can see, that's just the website displaying it poorly, showing "sold out" before you specify a date and time. It seems to have sim tickets available for most of the times, except when the main tickets are almost sold out.I'd echo the "I wouldn't hang around, though".
I'd be interested to hear opinions on the exhibition from the F1-knowledgeable people on here. I can't decide from their marketing whether it looks like it has any real substance.
. Got to be in it to win it!Just back from this.
Not quite as expansive as I thought it would be but rather enjoyed it.
Good to get a proper close up look at modern F1 machinery and some older cars. Really interesting to see some of the tech that gets hidden away and some interesting history that I hadn't previously known (such as electronic ride height being first experimented with on Lauda's Ferrari). And some interesting letters and documents from the likes of Enzo Ferrari and others.
Stand out for me was Grosjean's tub from Bahrain. Truly remarkable how well that held up and quite spooky seeing it there. And just how beautifully meticulous the modern cars are.
If you read and watch everything you'll be done in two hours. Rather weak gift shop - mainly selling promotional merch for the show itself but a few books and shirts if that's your thing. Surprising as F1 isn't normally shy on flogging anything they can.
If you are going, it's not well signposted. It's in the western end of the Excel centre on the water side.
If you intend to go and haven't got your tickets yet, don't bother with the VIP Podium thing. Fast track entry (which isn't really needed), free tote bag and a poster advertising the exhibition - and that's it!)
A few pics.
Not quite as expansive as I thought it would be but rather enjoyed it.
Good to get a proper close up look at modern F1 machinery and some older cars. Really interesting to see some of the tech that gets hidden away and some interesting history that I hadn't previously known (such as electronic ride height being first experimented with on Lauda's Ferrari). And some interesting letters and documents from the likes of Enzo Ferrari and others.
Stand out for me was Grosjean's tub from Bahrain. Truly remarkable how well that held up and quite spooky seeing it there. And just how beautifully meticulous the modern cars are.
If you read and watch everything you'll be done in two hours. Rather weak gift shop - mainly selling promotional merch for the show itself but a few books and shirts if that's your thing. Surprising as F1 isn't normally shy on flogging anything they can.
If you are going, it's not well signposted. It's in the western end of the Excel centre on the water side.
If you intend to go and haven't got your tickets yet, don't bother with the VIP Podium thing. Fast track entry (which isn't really needed), free tote bag and a poster advertising the exhibition - and that's it!)
A few pics.
BunkMoreland said:
StevieBee said:
Just back from this.
Real F1 cars that competed or the w
ky "show cars" that look a bit like the car, but are basically a body shell on a space frame with zero engine or suspension or brake partsEven if they were show cars, the level of detail is such that you wouldn't be disappointed.
I went to this yesterday. I really enjoyed it. I’d describe myself as a casual fan, been to 7/8 races and I’m not tribal in support of one team or another.
There was lots to see over a big area, not too crowded and the staff were pleasant and knowledgeable.
Lots of cars to look at, the Red Bull was especially interesting, you were able to see all the aero details close up which was stupefying in its intricacy and attention to detail. You hear the commentators banging on about aero and damage to floors and when you see a car really close up, it really make sense.
Seeing the wreckage of Grosejean’s car was sobering but I was surprised to see rusty fasteners on the tub. Maybe they buy their titanium from Ali Express
There was lots to see over a big area, not too crowded and the staff were pleasant and knowledgeable.
Lots of cars to look at, the Red Bull was especially interesting, you were able to see all the aero details close up which was stupefying in its intricacy and attention to detail. You hear the commentators banging on about aero and damage to floors and when you see a car really close up, it really make sense.
Seeing the wreckage of Grosejean’s car was sobering but I was surprised to see rusty fasteners on the tub. Maybe they buy their titanium from Ali Express
Roman Moroni said:
@StevieBee. Thanks for the write up & pictures .
I'm off there next Wednesday; I've got tickets from when the doors first open, so I'm hoping to get to see some of the exhibits without fighting the crowds
You're welcome.I'm off there next Wednesday; I've got tickets from when the doors first open, so I'm hoping to get to see some of the exhibits without fighting the crowds
They allocate only so many tickets over a four hour period and from what we could see, was managed really well. We did the early slot and wasn't at all busy and the same appeared to be the case as we left.
Enjoy!
StevieBee said:
To me, they appeared the latter but my Son who's more clued up on these suggested they were a little more than that.
Thanks, I have a few days in London next month and was thinking of visiting the exhibition and the simulator was one of the main draws for me. If it is simply a commercial product in a fancy motion rig I will give it a miss. Edit: just watched a YouTube video of the simulator. It’s just the standard F1 game in a very easy mode (automatic gears, driving lines, brake assist, steering assist and traction control all turned on).
Edited by sandman77 on Sunday 1st September 09:44
I was there yesterday, had some tickets bought for me as a gift, to be honest if they hadn't then I probably wouldn't have bothered in the first instance.
Overbooked and underwhelming are the two overriding impressions. Granted it was a Saturday, school holidays and all the usual caveats, but it was very, very busy, to the extent we couldn't read or really look at most of the exhibits and artefacts.
Aside from that the exhibitions, whilst interesting in their own right, don't really add up to the ticket price and grandiosity the marketing material would lead you to believe. The audio guide is downright crap and if like me you're a tragic F1 nerd you probably won't learn anything new. Now to be fair, I get the impression that this wasn't really aimed at that demographic so I can't really fault it for that.
The best bit by a mile was Grosjean's chassis from Bahrain 2020, they save that for the end and the cynic in me says they know they're saving the best till last.
It's such a shame that the collection at Donnington has been sold off because in terms of pure access to machinery, it knocked this into a cocked hat.
And for the poster above, the simulator experience is the latest edition of the F1 game but setup like a decent home simulator, for the kids it's probably worth it at £12.50 to be fair (unless you've already got that kit at home!).
Overbooked and underwhelming are the two overriding impressions. Granted it was a Saturday, school holidays and all the usual caveats, but it was very, very busy, to the extent we couldn't read or really look at most of the exhibits and artefacts.
Aside from that the exhibitions, whilst interesting in their own right, don't really add up to the ticket price and grandiosity the marketing material would lead you to believe. The audio guide is downright crap and if like me you're a tragic F1 nerd you probably won't learn anything new. Now to be fair, I get the impression that this wasn't really aimed at that demographic so I can't really fault it for that.
The best bit by a mile was Grosjean's chassis from Bahrain 2020, they save that for the end and the cynic in me says they know they're saving the best till last.
It's such a shame that the collection at Donnington has been sold off because in terms of pure access to machinery, it knocked this into a cocked hat.
And for the poster above, the simulator experience is the latest edition of the F1 game but setup like a decent home simulator, for the kids it's probably worth it at £12.50 to be fair (unless you've already got that kit at home!).
Was there on Monday - thought it was well worth the money. We spent around 3 hours there, reading and watching everything.
At least one of the McLaren's was definitely a genuine race car:-
They also had the fan cover from the Brabham - look carefully and you can see it's actually a dustbin lid.
Some of the presentation approach was annoying - some captions were hard to read because of the way they were printed. Plus a few spelling and factual errors (Bern is in Switzerland not Germany!) were odd. The audio guides were under-used - could have given more info (and sound) from the cars on display - but some of the interviews were worth watching.
The trophies on display were spectacular, with everything from very plain 1970s constructors to the current driver's trophy with all their names and signatures on it.
Grosjean's chassis was a sobering sight and and amazing demonstration of the incredible safety standards now.
At least one of the McLaren's was definitely a genuine race car:-
They also had the fan cover from the Brabham - look carefully and you can see it's actually a dustbin lid.
Some of the presentation approach was annoying - some captions were hard to read because of the way they were printed. Plus a few spelling and factual errors (Bern is in Switzerland not Germany!) were odd. The audio guides were under-used - could have given more info (and sound) from the cars on display - but some of the interviews were worth watching.
The trophies on display were spectacular, with everything from very plain 1970s constructors to the current driver's trophy with all their names and signatures on it.
Grosjean's chassis was a sobering sight and and amazing demonstration of the incredible safety standards now.
Just got home. I pretty much echo everything that those above have said.
As previously mentioned I booked for when the doors opened (9 am). I was there in good time, there were less than 10 people in front of me. When we was let in I was the first to get into the exhibition whilst the others went off to the 'simulators. I literally had the whole of the place to myself; so I had a quick scoot around taking loads of photos. I'm not going to upload them as they're similar to the ones already posted. I then went back to the beginning and had a slow walk around looking at the exhibits. In total I stayed just over 2.5hrs.
Some informative exhibits. For me the star of the show and most thought provoking was what was left of Grosjeans' car. Like many others I was watching when he crashed, how he survived with minimal injuries (look at his hands in the video playing in the background, is truly amazing; even more so when you see what is left of the tub.
My biggest boast is discovering I've got the same reaction time as Senna, but that's where the similarity ends.
It never got crowded although I wonder how it would be later on in the day or at the weekend. I'm certainly glad I didn't book the simulators as it does seem a waste of money. As I walked out there was a few free with the opportunity to walk-up rather than booking.
All in all, I'm glad I went
As previously mentioned I booked for when the doors opened (9 am). I was there in good time, there were less than 10 people in front of me. When we was let in I was the first to get into the exhibition whilst the others went off to the 'simulators. I literally had the whole of the place to myself; so I had a quick scoot around taking loads of photos. I'm not going to upload them as they're similar to the ones already posted. I then went back to the beginning and had a slow walk around looking at the exhibits. In total I stayed just over 2.5hrs.
Some informative exhibits. For me the star of the show and most thought provoking was what was left of Grosjeans' car. Like many others I was watching when he crashed, how he survived with minimal injuries (look at his hands in the video playing in the background, is truly amazing; even more so when you see what is left of the tub.
My biggest boast is discovering I've got the same reaction time as Senna, but that's where the similarity ends.
It never got crowded although I wonder how it would be later on in the day or at the weekend. I'm certainly glad I didn't book the simulators as it does seem a waste of money. As I walked out there was a few free with the opportunity to walk-up rather than booking.
All in all, I'm glad I went
We bought some tickets spur-of-the moment last week and went yesterday with a 13.0 slot. Got there a bit early and were let in without a problem. Not too crowded with plenty of space, I’m glad we went after schools went back to avoid over-excited young-uns…
Overall we really enjoyed it, quite a bit of little-seen stuff and plenty of history on display, and (considering this was an official F1 “product”) we felt good value for money, we were there for at least an hour and a half. The only downside is a limited range of hostelries to sit and chew the fat afterwards so we headed to Stratford for that.
Recommended to F1 nuts.
Overall we really enjoyed it, quite a bit of little-seen stuff and plenty of history on display, and (considering this was an official F1 “product”) we felt good value for money, we were there for at least an hour and a half. The only downside is a limited range of hostelries to sit and chew the fat afterwards so we headed to Stratford for that.
Recommended to F1 nuts.
Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff