Racing
© fuji.tim
Kim Kardashian was spotted in the Monaco Grand Prix paddock ahead of qualifying as Lewis Hamilton carried Ferrari’s strong practice form into the most important session of the weekend on the streets of Monte Carlo.
The off-track attention landed at a moment when Hamilton had given Ferrari a genuine reason to believe. Fresh from finishing second in Montreal, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion arrived in Monaco with momentum and backed it up on Friday by setting the fastest time in FP2. Hamilton led team-mate Charles Leclerc by 0.111 seconds as Ferrari completed a one-two in both Friday practice sessions, a sign that the Scuderia had found real pace at a circuit where track position can define the race.
That made Saturday qualifying the central sporting story as much as the celebrity intrigue around the paddock. In Monaco, more than almost anywhere else on the calendar, one fast lap can decide the shape of the entire weekend. Hamilton’s Friday speed therefore mattered far beyond a headline time, because it put him in position to challenge near the front at a venue where overtaking opportunities are limited and clean air is critical.
Kardashian’s appearance only heightened the spotlight. Multiple reports described the 45-year-old arriving by boat or yacht with her sister Khloé Kardashian before heading into a tightly controlled VIP area, in what was reported as her first Formula 1 paddock appearance. Formula 1 itself acknowledged her arrival in a social media post on X on June 6, 2026, writing: “Welcome to the paddock 👋Kim Kardashian has arrived in Monaco ✨.”
Still, Ferrari’s grip on the weekend did not go unchallenged. Any sense that Hamilton and Leclerc had Monaco under control on Friday was disrupted in final practice, when Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli made a sharp step forward overnight. Antonelli produced a 1m12.720s lap, the only time below 73 seconds, to go fastest in FP3 and reassert Mercedes as a serious qualifying threat.
Hamilton remained firmly in the picture, but the picture had changed. He ended the session 0.331 seconds behind Antonelli, while Leclerc also stayed close enough to suggest Ferrari had not dropped out of the fight. The result was a much tighter competitive frame heading into qualifying than Friday’s times alone had suggested, with Ferrari no longer looking able to dictate terms without resistance.
That shift matters because Hamilton’s Monaco weekend had begun to look like a possible breakthrough. His podium in Montreal was already his second of the season, and Ferrari’s pace through Friday suggested he could translate that form into something bigger. Instead, final practice turned the story from Ferrari advantage to a three-way qualifying contest in which Hamilton still had the pace to attack, but no margin for error.
Kardashian’s first appearance in the paddock ensured extra attention would follow Hamilton into qualifying, yet the real stakes were on track. Ferrari had shown enough speed for Hamilton to aim at the front row and potentially more, but Antonelli’s late surge made clear that any breakthrough in Monaco would have to be earned against renewed Mercedes pressure in the session that matters most.