Love, lights and lap times: Valentine’s Day date ideas for F1 fans

Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, and you might be wondering how to spend the day of love. Now, this doesn’t have to mean candlelit dinners and soppy playlists – especially if Formula 1 plays a big part in your relationship!

Whether you bonded over cancelling Sunday plans for race day, have heated strategy debates or even argue about your favourite circuits, there are plenty of ways to put a little (or large!) F1 spin on the most romantic day of the year.

Cosy nights in

If staying in feels more your style, there are plenty of options for something a little more intimate:

Have a Grand Prix-inspired night in

The premise is simple: pick one of your favourite race weekends and build your evening around it! Start off with a Grand Prix-inspired menu – whether it be an Italian night for Monza or Imola, tacos and margaritas for Mexico, or an Australian-inspired spread to mark the pending season opener in Melbourne. Pair it with a themed cocktail or mocktail (a Singapore Sling would go down a treat!) and suddenly dinner transports you straight to the circuit.

Once you’ve plated up, pull up highlights from Grands Prix gone by – the races that made you fall in love with that circuit in the first place – then settle in and enjoy.

Front row seats on the sofa

Thankfully, sometimes the best date night doesn’t even need a reservation. Grab some popcorn, dim the lights and settle in for a movie night. Whether it’s F1 The Movie (Apple TV), Rush (Netflix), Senna (Netflix), or one of the many documentaries on the sport, it’s an easy win for a relaxed and cosy evening in. Front-row seats and full control of the rewind button – what more could you want?

Get crafting!

If you’re feeling crafty and after a Valentine’s date idea that’s low-pressure but still super meaningful, making F1-inspired beaded bracelets is always a winner. Settle in with some snacks, and pick your favourite drivers’ names or numbers, team colours, or even some iconic meme quotes to adorn your accessory! Whether you end up swapping bracelets at the end of the night or end up keeping them as good-luck charms for the season ahead, it’s a low key but wholesome evening.

If you or your partner fancies yourselves a budding engineer, why not fuel that passion by spending the evening crafting your favourite teams’ F1 car... in LEGO of course! Every team is represented, and sets range from quick builds to something a little more time consuming – so there’s something to suit every skill level. Put some music on, pour a drink, and see which of you has the patience and precision of a race engineer!

Out and about

If you’re up for getting out and doing something a little different, here are some ways to spend the evening out together:

Lights out at F1 Arcade

If you’re both missing F1 (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), the F1 Arcade makes for a really fun Valentine’s date. With F1 Arcades in London, Birmingham, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Denver and Las Vegas it is the perfect way to get a mid-winter motorsport fix.

Jump into the simulators, have a laugh comparing lap times, then slow things down a little with good food, cocktails and music once the racing’s done. Race as much or as little as you want – but a little competition never hurt anyone!

Karting date_

If you are a competitive couple, then how better to celebrate Valentines Day than going up against each other on track? Going karting is a great option to fuel your love for adrenaline... or perhaps even to settle any disagreements you may have!

If you head to F1 DRIVE in London, then there’s also the option for dinner and drinks to enjoy post-chequered flag. Perhaps buying the drinks or letting the winner choose the playlist on the way home is a suitable forfeit for the runner-up?

Grand gestures

If you’re thinking of something bigger than a single night, there are plenty of ways to make Valentine’s Day feel unforgettable...

Book a table at Ristorante Cavallino

If you’re the kind of couple who loves a romantic getaway, then we reckon this one could be hard to beat. A table at Ristorante Cavallino in Maranello sits right next to Ferrari’s base, and that alone gives the evening a sense of occasion, not just for the Tifosi, but any motorsport fan.

While it might be hard to justify a trip away for a single meal, this works perfectly as part of a bigger romantic trip. Jet off to Italy, soak up the country’s deep-rooted love for motorsport and turn the dinner into one stop on a longer adventure. With Florence, Venice and Bologna all within reach, it’s easy to imagine this becoming the start of a memorable Italian road trip!

Prep a Las Vegas Grand Prix wedding

Though slightly unconventional, an F1-themed wedding doesn’t get more on-brand than saying “I do” at the Las Vegas Grand Prix over race weekend!

The bright pink chapel has become a staple of the paddock in recent years, with plenty of F1-obsessed couples tying the knot – often with an Elvis impersonator conducting the ceremony (this is Las Vegas after all). While some decide to get married on impulse during the weekend itself, others plan the whole trip around their wedding, making it a perfect Valentine’s Day idea to start plotting together.

And who knows... maybe a rogue F1 driver will even pop up to officiate your ceremony (we’re looking at you Valtteri Bottas!)

Plan a race weekend together

There’s nothing that says “I’m committed” than making future plans and having things to look forward to together. Planning a race weekend turns the day into the start of an adventure rather than just a one-off date. Picking a Grand Prix that you are both itching to attend and imagining yourselves trackside gets the excitement levels rising after a few months without racing.

It doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful – you can chat about which races you’d love to go to, which corner you'd like to watch the race from, perhaps plan the travel, or even pick your team colours and outfits for the weekend. Simply dreaming together about the trip and the fun you’ll have on race day can be a Valentine’s activity in itself.