Stage set for F1 Hollywood Festival

This week’s F1 Hollywood Festival on Los Angeles’ famed Hollywood Boulevard brings together the worlds of racing and Tinseltown in a way that you’d usually only expect to see in the paddock at Monaco. Dig a little deeper though, and those ties go back further that you might think.

Legend has it that two of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s golden era – Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin – were in the habit of challenging each other to a horse race down Hollywood Boulevard; the loser picking up the bill at local hot spot Musso & Frank Grill. That restaurant remains open to this day, providing one option for fans who want to commemorate a different kind of interplay between Hollywood and horsepower after taking in the F1 festival.

A sketch of Fairbanks at Musso & Franks. Image and sketch by Paul Laguette

The action gets underway tomorrow with the Hollywood Ride of Fame exhibition, and switches into top gear on Wednesday when Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas arrive to put the F1 cars through their paces. The full schedule is available here, and while the entire event is free, it’s advisable to arrive early on Wednesday.