At just 19 years old, Felix Baggott is running two capital-intensive ventures at once. As founder of Full Send Racing Lounge which opened in June 2025 in Portsmouth, and a successful Formula 3 driver, he is operating at the intersection of two industries where success depends not just on performance, but on sustained external funding.
The racing lounge, based at Gunwharf Quays, taps into the UK’s growing demand for experiential leisure; venues that offer something more immersive than traditional hospitality. High-end simulators, competitive formats and a club-style atmosphere position the business closer to a specialist experience than a casual entertainment option.
But behind the concept lies a familiar challenge. Experiential venues are expensive to establish and operate, with significant upfront investment in equipment, fit-out and location. Margins are often tight, and profitability depends on consistent utilisation, particularly through group bookings and corporate events rather than walk-in trade alone.
Baggott’s approach reflects that reality. The business targets both consumer and corporate audiences, aiming to balance footfall with more predictable, higher-value bookings. It is a model increasingly seen across the sector as operators look to reduce volatility in revenue.
What makes the case more unusual is that this is only half the story. Alongside the venue, Baggott successfully competes in Formula 3, where costs are high and talent alone is not enough to sustain progression. Drivers are expected to bring significant financial backing through sponsorship.
This dual career is increasingly shaping how younger founders think about business. Rather than pursuing a single path, there is a growing tendency to build ventures that align with personal expertise or networks, while also creating broader platforms for visibility and partnership.
Full Send Racing Lounge offers one such platform. It provides brand exposure, customer engagement and a physical space that appeals to commercial partners. For potential sponsors, the combination of a consumer-facing venue and a driver competing in Formula 3 presents a more layered opportunity than traditional sponsorship alone.
However, the underlying challenge remains unchanged. Both ventures require sustained investment to grow, and both operate in environments where returns are far from guaranteed.
This reflects a wider issue across UK business and sport: the difficulty of securing funding at early and growth stages. Whether scaling a venue or progressing in a professional sport, access to capital, and the ability to demonstrate commercial value, remains a defining factor.
Baggott’s situation brings that into sharp focus. He is effectively managing two high-cost, high-risk pursuits simultaneously, each demanding operational discipline and external backing.
What stands out is the commercial logic underpinning it. Rather than relying solely on a racing career, he is building a business designed to stand independently, while also creating opportunities for crossover in brand and partnership terms.
His example highlights a broader shift: a generation of founders approaching business and career-building not as a single track, but as a portfolio of interconnected opportunities, each with its own risks, and each reliant on the same underlying factor; investment.
