Jonathan Peters Appointed New CEO of F1 Arcade Hospitality Brand

Entertainment brand F1 Arcade instituted planned leadership transitions in December, appointing Jonathan Peters, previously global president, to chief executive officer to drive ambitious growth plans. Founder Adam Breeden and co-founder Diane Jervis are transitioning to non-executive director roles, as the business scales up and enters new markets.

Breeden and Jervis continue to support the company in key strategic areas while stepping back from day-to-day operations. The evolution is consistent with Breeden ‘s longstanding philosophy across his portfolio of successful experiential ventures, where he has led creation and early expansion and then handed over operational leadership to strong management teams as the business reaches scale, according to the company.

“F1 Arcade has been an extraordinary journey, seeing the business grow from an idea into a category-leading brand with a clearly defined global rollout has been immensely rewarding,” he said. “Jonathan and I have been working together since the foundation of the business in 2020 and throughout this time he has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership, commercial clarity and a deep understanding of what it takes to drive the business forward. He is exceptionally well placed to lead the next phase of growth as we capitalize on the strong foundations we have built with a clear global expansion strategy.”

Expansion plans include opening a 15,000-square-foot venue in Atlanta, as well as F1 Arcade’s first mainland European location in Madrid—a franchise venue delivered in partnership with Top Racing Iberia, a joint venture between Top Entertainment Iberia (TEI) and Orca Holdings.

Meanwhile, highlighting the scalability of the product, F1 Arcade recently debuted its small-format arcade experience, F1 Box, to London’s Westfield Stratford City ahead of its global rollout.

Simulating the Thrills of F1

Backed by Formula 1 and Liberty Media, F1 Arcade is the world’s first F1 experiential hospitality brand, offering a gaming experience that simulates the thrill of Formula 1 racing. F1 Arcade opened its first venue in London in 2022, followed by Birmingham, England. In April 2024 the brand launched its first U.S. site in Boston Seaport and has since opened outlets in Denver, Washington, D.C, Philadelphia and Las Vegas, with further franchise sites and concepts in development.

“F1 Arcade is entering a momentous new stage as a scale-up and I am excited to take up the CEO role to lead the business through our most ambitious phase to date,” said Peters. “We have strong investor backing, a proven concept and a well-defined international expansion plan. My focus now is on turning that opportunity into sustained growth. I look forward to building on our huge achievements so far.”

As part of its growth planning, F1 Arcade has added seasoned talent from across hospitality, sports and entertainment sectors. Adam Hughes, formerly European finance director at Soho House, recently stepped up to become chief financial officer. Tom Littlechild, who was head of brand at Formula 1 and marketing and communications director at The O2, has been appointed interim chief marketing officer. Janene Pretorius joins as chief people officer following senior positions at The Wolseley Hospitality Group and The Ivy Collection.

F1 Arcade combines state-of-the-art racing simulators with world-class food and drinks, creating an immersive social gaming experience. Working in collaboration with Formula 1 and Studio 397 (a subsidiary of Motorsport Games), the company has developed a bespoke racing experience for all skill levels.