Formula One's American audience has exploded in the past three years, and the bars catching up to that demand are catching up fast. A good F1 bar means a screen large enough to distinguish a Red Bull from a Ferrari at 200mph, sound that carries the engine note properly, and a crowd that keeps quiet through the commentary and loses its mind at the Safety Car. We've tracked down the best bars to watch Formula One across New York, London, and Las Vegas — including a few that have elevated race day into something genuinely special.
The Best Formula One Bars in New York
New York's F1 following has grown dramatically since Drive to Survive landed on Netflix. These bars have kept pace with demand, investing in the right screens and building the right crowds for a race that often starts at 9am Eastern time.
01
Pit Lane Bar & Grill
Hell's Kitchen$$F1-Dedicated / Loud
New York's first purpose-built F1 bar, opened in 2022 and already the city's most reliable race-day destination. Pit Lane has seven screens including a 120-inch projection screen covering the main wall, opens at 7:30am for European races, and runs a full breakfast menu through until noon. The crowd divides by team allegiance — one side of the bar is reliably Red Bull territory, the other is everyone else. The banter is good-natured but serious.
Order: F1 Paddock cocktail (rum, Red Bull, lime), eggs Benedict
02
The Grand Prix
Flatiron$$$Upscale / Bar-Forward
The more upscale option for F1 viewing in Manhattan. The Grand Prix runs a proper cocktail program — the Monaco Negroni is worth ordering on its own merits — alongside a curated race-day food menu. The screen setup is smaller than Pit Lane but the audio quality is superior, and the crowd skews toward people who actually follow the championship rather than casual viewers turning up for the spectacle. Reservations required for Monaco and Abu Dhabi.
Order: Monaco Negroni, truffle fries
03
Autodromo NYC
Williamsburg, Brooklyn$$Craft Beer / Relaxed
A Brooklyn craft beer bar that has built a serious F1 following without sacrificing its identity. Autodromo runs race screenings every Sunday from March through November, with a rotating selection of global craft beers and a pre-race show on the secondary screen. The crowd is younger than Manhattan equivalents and the atmosphere is less corporate. Formula E and MotoGP screenings run on the same setup when the F1 calendar allows. No reservations needed except for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Order: Whatever IPA is on cask, breakfast burrito
The full New York sports bars guide
Every sports bar in New York ranked by occasion, screen quality, and atmosphere. 24 listings from all five boroughs.
London has had a Formula One culture since the sport was invented, and the bars reflect that. These are the venues where the commentary gets turned up, where team merchandise is worn without irony, and where people stay after the chequered flag to debate strategy decisions for another hour.
04
The Racing Line
Covent Garden$$$F1-Dedicated / Premium
London's best dedicated F1 bar, with racing memorabilia covering every wall and a screen array that replicates the feel of watching from a paddock club hospitality suite. The Racing Line runs breakfast packages for European morning races and dinner packages for evening circuits. The sound system is calibrated to carry engine noise at the correct frequency — a surprisingly important detail that most sports bars miss entirely. Book at least two weeks ahead for any British Grand Prix weekend.
Order: Pole Position cocktail (champagne, elderflower), smoked salmon eggs royale
05
The Garage Bar Shoreditch
Shoreditch$$Casual / Craft Beer
A Shoreditch craft beer bar that takes F1 seriously without the premium price point. The Garage Bar runs every race on its two large screens, stocks an exceptional range of craft lagers from racing-heritage countries (Italian, German, Austrian), and has a kitchen that opens for the early-morning European races. The crowd is knowledgeable — you'll hear people discussing tyre strategies, not just asking who's winning. The post-race analysis sessions are worth staying for.
Order: Peroni Nastro Azzurro on draught, pizza
Weekly editorial
The bars worth going to, weekly.
One email per week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 60 cities worldwide.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
F1 Bars in Las Vegas
Since the Las Vegas Grand Prix joined the calendar in 2023, the city has developed a year-round F1 culture to match its existing sports bar infrastructure. These venues have elevated race-day watching into something the city does well — big, loud, and unapologetically spectacular.
06
The Apex Lounge
The Strip$$$$Luxury / Event-Style
Las Vegas does sports bars differently, and The Apex Lounge represents the city's F1 ambitions at their most unrestrained. Eight 85-inch screens, a cocktail menu built around racing circuits (the Singapore Sling has never been more appropriate), and race-day packages that include breakfast, unlimited coffee, and a reserved seat for the duration. For the Las Vegas Grand Prix itself, the bar hosts viewing parties on the outdoor terrace with actual race cars passing 400 metres away.
Order: Singapore Sling or Monaco cocktail, avocado toast brunch package
07
Velocity Sports Bar
Downtown Las Vegas$$Accessible / High Volume
The more accessible Las Vegas option for F1 watching — no reservation required except for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, walk-ins welcome, and drink prices that don't require a paddock pass budget. Velocity runs 24 screens across its main floor and outdoor terrace, with F1 commentary audible throughout even during busy service. The crowd ranges from dedicated fans to curious hotel guests who heard the noise and walked in. Both are equally welcome here.
Order: Craft lager, loaded fries
08
Paddock Club Bar
Henderson, Las Vegas$$$Neighbourhood Gem / Passionate
Away from the Strip's scale and pricing, Paddock Club Bar is a neighbourhood find that has built the most genuinely passionate F1 crowd in Las Vegas. The owner raced karts at national level and that expertise filters through to the clientele — conversations about aerodynamics and tyre compounds run freely from qualifying through to the chequered flag. Five screens, excellent Bloody Mary brunches, and a bar team that will explain DRS to anyone who asks.
Order: Paddock Club Bloody Mary, eggs Benedict
The full sports bars guide
Every sports bar across 60 cities, organised by occasion. From Formula One to football, cricket to basketball.
The F1 bar experience depends heavily on screen quality and sound. The sport rewards proper AV investment more than almost any other — the difference between a 55-inch television and a 120-inch projection screen is the difference between watching F1 and experiencing it. Beyond hardware, look for a crowd that knows the sport: bars where people discuss strategy rather than just react to crashes are the ones where the full 90-minute broadcast rewards the early start. If you're going for a European race, get there 20 minutes before the pre-race show — the best seats go fast.
Las Vegas bar guide
Our complete guide to Las Vegas bars across every category — from rooftop pools to craft cocktail lounges and everything in between.
