People pay good money to experience the famed Monaco Grand Prix. It is, undoubtedly, ground zero for some of the most obscene wealth in the world: Billionaire-owned yachts crowd the harbor, Hollywood stars flock to join in on the fun, and the afterparties don’t stop until the Côte d’Azur sun comes up.
The Hollywood Reporter, for three days across the 83rd installment of the jewel in the F1 crown, was given an exclusive peek into this life — the oysters, the champagne, the boat trips and bubbles. We were hosted by Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, invited into their suites and shown why film, TV and music A-listers can’t help themselves from getting in on the action.
What lies ahead is a day-by-day diary of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix as a guest of the fastest-growing team on the grid. I was privy to it all: The clambering fans waving their phones in the face of the sport’s brightest stars, the eye-watering costs of a ticket to F1’s most exclusive post-race bash and, yes, the Kim Kardashian chaos.
Friday, June 5
7:45 a.m. After waking to the sound of Mediterranean waves crashing softly against the rocks below my sea view room, I’m picked up from the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula in a private Mercedes-Benz. I got in late from London last night, and it’s here that the U.K.-based Pop-Up Hotel (a company that, as the name states, provides temporary, luxury accommodation on various race weekends) has rented an extravagant villa on the waterfront, neighboring France’s Rothschild estate. Villa prices start at £9,995 ($13,382) per person, with exclusive access to the Pop-Up yacht. It’s docked trackside in the Monaco harbor and hosted by former F1 legend Michael Bleekemolen. The other guests I cross paths with showcase a real mix of personalities among Pop-Up’s clientele: high-earning finance professionals hailing from London, and an American family who are evidently die-hard F1 fans. All of them, it seems, enjoy a party.
