We confess we skipped work for a bit yesterday. The excuse was to attend Vertu's press conference for their new Ascent Racetrack Legend phone series - named after six famous car-racing circuits - but the real reason was to play with the F1 simulators at the Sideways Racing Club, an upscale arcade with very cool machines recently opened on Chancery Lane, Central.

'It's where drivers like Matthew Marsh come to practise before a race,' Adrian Wong of Vertu says. 'I thought this was the perfect place to show off these new phones.'

The backs of the pricey handsets have a map of the named circuit. Part of it is made with the same material as F1 car tyres, with tread intact. Each model comes in limited editions of 1,000 worldwide. About 150 each of the first two models (Monza and Silverstone) are in Hong Kong. Act fast, race geeks!