Ferrari Casa Ferrari ’23
Positioned in a prime location on the main straight of the Albert Park Circuit, Casa Ferrari immersed owners and invited guests in a true Ferrari experience at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The venue reflected the brand’s 76 years of history as the most important manufacturer in motor racing, creating a suitable home for Ferrari alongside its spiritual birthplace… the racetrack.
Building on the breakthrough Casa Ferrari experience of 2022, this year was to be an elevated offering, with a highly considered and contemporary design providing an exclusive atmosphere for visitors. The Bastion Experience team took it up a level (literally) designing and executing a three-storey build with a spacious outdoor area. Inspired by a European day club, guests were treated to Italian themed food and beverages, entertainment and a trackside vantage point overlooking the pit lane exit. Also inside was a racing simulator and a custom water feature adding to the luxury environment.
The light-filled Casa layout featured a free-flowing series of rooms, each highlighting different elements of the brand’s history, racing DNA and current technological achievements.
To launch the Grand Prix weekend, Casa Ferrari hosted Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc at the opening cocktail party, who set pulses racing with an impassioned interview in front of invited guests. President of Ferrari Australasia, Jan Hendrik Voss also gave a welcome speech.
Bastion Experience had four key deliverables for the event:
Design a premium build
A key objective from Ferrari was to elevate the Casa Ferrari offering year-on-year, ensuring 2023 set a new benchmark. The creative team drew upon the most successful aspects from 2022, while adopting a minimalist aesthetic for the overall design and styling. The three-storey build allowed us to host additional guests inside (250+PAX), supplemented by a spacious outdoor area providing an even closer trackside vantage point. The unique design of the build, including custom rendered walls, Ferrari red accents, and arched windows, was especially striking once set amongst more conventional neighbouring hospitality offerings and grandstands.
Each level provided a unique, functional environment, with custom lounge areas built on both lower levels, a spritz bar on level two, and a rooftop bar overlooking the track. Outdoor lounge settings provided comfortable areas for guests to recline while enjoying the action. Also new for 2023 was a cloak room, which worked well for guests, establishing itself as an element we would continue to include in future builds.
Create a luxurious, exclusive experience for guests
Acknowledging the excellence and elegance of the Ferrari brand, Casa Ferrari needed to provide guests with a representative experience. Competing with other notable hospitality offerings at the Australian Formula 1 GP, we designed a menu with Food & Desire, featuring classic Italian recipes and ingredients. We also provided a gelati cart and coffee cart, which were popular with guests over the weekend. Sponsorship from Campari delivered guests a varied beverage offering with Aperol Spritz and Negronis served at each bar. Both beverages were popular throughout the weekend, served alongside champagne, wine and beer.
To truly succeed, it was important to offer guests more than just premium hospitality service. With Next Level Racing as a partner of the brand, we provided visitors with access to a racing simulator on the ground level. The simulator was opened to the public for select periods throughout the weekend, supported by a leaderboard encouraging guests to compete with each other.
Further entertainment throughout the weekend included DJs, plus Jax on the Sax at the opening cocktail party. Key design elements and styling pieces were deliberately chosen to ensure guests felt comfortable. These included the custom built lounges, indoor seating and outdoor lounge areas. The space was styled with on-brand ceramics, citrus trees and greenery, with soft furnishings and Ferrari-inspired artwork complementing the space.
Showcase the Ferrari brand and racing DNA
Branding was deliberately kept to a minimum throughout Casa Ferrari, limited to ‘Casa Ferrari’ on the bars and the water feature, Cavallino motif where needed, and subtle Ferrari artworks on certain walls, including design sketches and artistic photography of Ferrari models including the new Purosangue road car and the current SF-23 Formula 1 car. A selection of Ferrari books and small car models were also on display in the bar and lounge areas.
The racing simulator was on theme for the event and received well by guests, providing entertainment and interaction throughout the weekend. Guests had the chance to try their hand at a fast lap of the Albert Park Circuit with a leaderboard keeping score.
Continue the legacy of the brand across markets
Casa Ferrari made a big impression in 2022 at the return of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix after a two-year hiatus. We needed to deliver a similar impact in 2023 to ensure the legacy of Casa Ferrari is boosted each year.
It was important to ensure Casa Ferrari 2023 was design-driven, in all elements of the build, styling and guest experience. The execution of Casa Ferrari in Australia inspired the hospitality offering at the following Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, establishing a benchmark for other international markets to aspire to.
As a global leader, we need to ensure we are ahead of trends in all markets spanning across racing, automotive, design, interiors, hospitality and events to maintain relevance in all markets worldwide.
