Why is Soho House getting into bed with Formula 1?
Every piece of furniture at Soho House’s Formula 1 lounge House44 has its own specially designed wooden crate so that it can travel safely internationally. From crushed velvet pillows to leather bartops, one-off rattan seats and bespoke soft lighting, as well as elegant dinner tables with racetrack views, everything is transported from Grand Prix to Grand Prix and assembled in an identical layout, so that there is the exact same Soho House lounge available for members wherever they are in the world. This personal touch speaks to Soho House’s care for guest detail, but moreso, to the power and influence of Formula 1, which has exploded onto the high society scene in recent years.
Where once it was all about Wimbledon and Ascot, now Formula 1 has serious clout. Tom Holland, Damson Idris, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Felicity Jones attended Silverstone last year as guests of Soho House’s House 44, their new racetrack adjacent pop-up hospitality venture. It follows the success of Netflix show Drive to Survive and F1 starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton, who is, usefully, one of House44’s A-List faces and a Soho House member of over 10 years. Of course, Formula 1 has long been en vogue with the entertainment set: Ron Howard’s Rush in 2013 and documentary Life on the Limit, about the sport’s dangerous high stakes, are some of the more mid-term examples, while legends like Schumacher and Hamilton have always drawn hype. Hamilton’s apparent coupling with Kim Kardashian is the latest tidbit fuelling interest in both the sport and its leading figures.
For Soho House though, which recently opened a new club in Manchester and has nine outposts in London, in creating their first sports partnership, why not at Wimbledon or Ascot? Insiders tell Morning Wire that bosses have got half an eye on a temporary House at the tennis Championships, following Wimbledon pop-ups at various UK Soho House venues over the past few years. But there was – there is, with House44 set to appear at many of 2026’s major races – a kinship between the leading luxury lifestyle brand and the petrolhead’s primest cut. Those working inside the partnership say it just made sense to align the “lifestyle phenomenon” that Formula 1 has become with Soho House’s signature “home away from home ambiance and exceptional service.” True to form, last year’s Silverstone was also attended by Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Vin Diesel.
Those chefs decorating plates at the highest echelons of Twickenham’s rugby hospitality tell Morning Wire that it’s a constant fight to serve something interesting enough to please the HNI who’ve seen everything and done everything a thousand times before. Those sports now face much tougher competition to pull in the top crowds now that Formula 1 offers something new. The drafty conference rooms housing the corporate hospitality areas at Silverstone look desperately out of date now that House44 is on the scene, with its idiosyncratic vibe, sinking sofas in natural, calming tones, decent cocktails and proper restaurant credentials. Over the next few years, I wonder, which other sports will experience this new level of luxe, as sports events increasingly become the places to be seen?
Book House44 at Silverstone and other Formula 1 events
It costs from around £9,000 for a three-day ticket over a Grand Prix race weekend, which includes alcoholic drinks, foods, pit access and talks with racing legends like Lewis Hamilton and DJ line-ups. House44 will be in Japan 26 – 29 March, Monaco June 4 – 7, Silverstone 2 – 5 July, Las Vegas 19 – 21 November and Abu Dhabi 3 – 6 December. Go to house44atf1paddockclub.com and go here for more on Soho House.