Monaco Grand Prix 2026: A charter editor's debrief from race week

For most people, the Monaco Grand Prix is viewed from behind barriers and grandstands. For the superyacht world, it's a very different story. BOAT International's travel and charter editor, Georgia Boscawen, gives us a first-person look inside the F1 from a yacht perspective...

Race week remains one of the most important dates in the Mediterranean season, drawing an extraordinary concentration of yachts, charter guests, brokers, owners and brands into a single square mile of waterfront. While the racing unfolds on track, a parallel event takes place across Port Hercules, where some of the industry's most sought-after berths become front-row seats to Formula 1's most glamorous weekend.

As BOAT's charter editor, Monaco Grand Prix week is less about lap times and podium predictions and more about following the movement of the fleet, tracking which yachts secure the coveted trackside berths and understanding how owners, charterers and brands are using one of the busiest weeks on the Riviera.

This year, we recorded almost 200 yachts in and around Monaco on race day. Among them were the 122-metre Kismet, the 118.8-metre Breakthrough, the 111-metre Alaiya, the 106.1-metre Amadea, the 101.5-metre Symphony and the 101.2-metre Attessa IV.

The only event that rivals the density of yachts in Monaco is the Monaco Yacht Show, but the atmosphere could not be more different. In September, the fleet gathers to do business. In June, it arrives to entertain. Throughout the week, tenders shuttle continuously between anchored yachts and Port Hercules, carrying guests, team personnel and sponsors through a principality that effectively becomes inaccessible by road.

Wajers, Wally and Rivas tenders – many carrying Formula 1 branding – weave through the harbour from dawn until late into the evening. On the water, it feels as though the entire Riviera has converged on Monaco.

While the traditional Monaco experience remains a yacht secured inside Port Hercules, increasingly sophisticated hospitality programmes are creating new ways to experience the event. This year, that meant spending race week aboard Explora I, which transformed from luxury cruise ship into floating Formula 1 headquarters.

For the superyacht industry, the relationship is notable. Monaco Grand Prix week has always been defined by proximity – proximity to the circuit, to the teams and to the personalities that shape the sport. Increasingly, however, brands are finding ways to replicate that access without requiring a yacht berth in the harbour itself. Throughout the week, Explora I hosted official Formula 1 events, welcomed team personnel and provided guests with direct access to the Paddock Club. The result was a hospitality experience that blurred the line between race venue, hotel and floating members' club.

Having cruised up the quay, I step off between the huge ship and the alo yoga boat (72-metre Sanlorenzo, Silver Fox), which, in a continuation of its wellness Cannes Pop-Up, has also managed to score a port Hercules berth for Race week. Having boarded Explora 1, the F1 excitement is palpable as groups gather in the huge main lobby, one of which is all-white, with the bright-red F1 logo on the left pocket. Many of the teams and F1 staff are staying on board for the race, but some of the official F1 events throughout race week are held on board Explora I.

Having made it to the room, I have only an hour or so before the official Opening Party of the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix de Monaco begins, an invitation-only event attended by many team principals and ex-drivers.

The next morning on Practice session day (Friday 5 June), after breakfast, which takes place in the vast Emporium Marketplace up on deck 11, guests are invited to Explora’s Journey’s Lounge, which is like a small cinema. Damon Hill sits before the rows of seats where guests can get his take on what may unfold in the days ahead. 

Speaking on strategy and how the drivers are feeling at this stage. Every morning, a new driver takes to the stage, including Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard. “I think Ferrari has a real chance here,” says Coulthard, who references the strength of the chassis. He also speaks on how George Russell could be feeling at this stage and where the key passing points of the Monaco circuit are.

Armed with my Canon AE-1, I make my way to the lobby, where I'm passed my Paddock Club passes. Located on La Rascasse corner, on the west corner of the circuit, the Monaco Paddock Club overlooks one of Monaco’s best corners (the Fairmont hairpin is the other favourite). This is my base for the next three days, except for when we’re whisked over to the pits ahead of the race to get a closer look at the teams (and drivers) as they gear up for the race ahead.

Inside the top floor of the Paddock Club is an F1 fan’s dream. It's not overcrowded as you would expect, and the wraparound balcony not only gives you the view of the pits and Le Rascasse, but also the yachts moored inside the port. As we watch from the balcony – strewn with sofas, televisions, and all-important cooling fans – glasses are kept full with Moët, beer, rosé, or mocktails, along with a range of food from sushi to burrata drenched in truffle honey. 

It’s a spectacle designed to provide guests with everything they could wish for to enjoy the race. This kind of access is something that Explora Journeys have negotiated with F1. Explora Journeys branding is plastered all over the track, and the brand has played a huge role in the events throughout the days leading up to the race. 

Race day and the feeling inside the Paddock Club is palpable. The day begins with another pit lane walk (which has been for some part overtaken by Kim Kardishian and her entourage), but the atmosphere is more tense than the previous days. Teams are focused on the job in hand, practicing their tyre changes and readying the kit for the race.

Having gleaned the general chatter on the balcony, Antonelli is the favourite for the race, as well as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in his home town and Lewis Hamilton. Soon, the race is off, and Monaco is alive with noise. From my position in the Paddock Club, I can see that thousands of people are crammed on their balconies, the grandstands are full, and the cars are finally screaming round La Rascasse corner. 

Antonelli is a front-runner, with Hamilton behind by just 10 laps to go, when officials decide to suspend the race over concerns about the surface of turn 19 (La Rascasse corner) following incidents involving Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc. Having deployed the safety car, the race soon became a red flag, and suddenly the atmosphere in the Paddock Club was electric. With little information on whether it was to be a standing start or not, there is a potential for an entirely different podium after a strong lead by Antonelli and Hamilton.

After the excitement of the race it’s back to Explora I, which luckily lies just a few 100-metres from the Paddock Club along the harbour wall. It takes most people hours to navigate the crowds or catch the tender from the main tender pickup point which is a hive of activity (as well as one of the main media spots for post-race interviews). 

Explora Journeys have done something interesting here – conquering one of the world’s most sought-after events with unprecedented access. I’ve felt completely in the action all week. This is a hotel on the water with the ultimate backstage pass.