Watching the Monaco Grand Prix is truly an assault on the senses: the roar of an engine echoing across the city, the smell of burning rubber wafting up from the track below, baking Mediterranean sun on my skin and a cold glass of champagne in my hand. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
It’s this access that’s the modus operandi of Go Privilege, a new breed of travel concierge that seeks to immerse its customers front and centre at those bucket-list, sold-out events (other 2025 calendars Wimbledon, Oasis and the Italian Grand Prix).
As a new-ish Formula One fan (thanks to the Drive to Survive documentary series on Netflix), the opportunity to experience all the glamour of Monaco on a Grand Prix weekend was one I couldn’t pass up.
My VIP experience
I landed at Nice Airport at midday on Saturday, otherwise known as qualifying day, when the starting order for the Grand Prix grid is decided. I was then whisked to the Mama Shelter design hotel by a private Go Privilege transfer. A riot of colour, it is well-located close to the old port area of the city, and comes complete with a rooftop pool. There was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air as men and women of all ages milled around, clad in their chosen team shirts: red for Ferrari, orange for McLaren, white for Mercedes (other team colours are available).
The first Monaco Grand Prix took place in 1929, and although it could be said that the sport has grown out of the city’s winding streets - today’s supercars are very different from those that took to the track almost 100 years ago - it’s not only a jewel in the sporting calendar, it’s one of Monaco’s greatest draws. In 2022, when the race came close to being removed from the F1 schedule (which has 24 competitions in the calendar), Prince Albert of Monaco himself personally intervened in negotiations in order to to keep it in.
That evening saw us gather in Monaco’s Port Hercule on a trackside superyacht, Sea Bluez, for the Go Privilege qualifying afterparty. Supercars had lined our walk from our private transfer to the yacht (a Porsche is apparently the car of choice for those motoring fans who can afford one), and the city was already celebrating. Local hero and 2024 Monaco winner Charles LeClerc had managed to secure second on the grid behind British driver Lando Norris, and what better way to toast to his success than with a glass of Moet from the top deck?
All around us were yachts, all pumping music and lined with well-dressed partygoers. “That’s Philip Green’s boat,” I was told of the hulking megolith that loomed over the port. This certainly wasn’t like any Formula One action I’d get from my normal TV watching - and my Sunday afternoons on the sofa certainly aren’t normally accompanied by a resident DJ, goats cheese profiteroles and endless champagne. All there was left to do was soak up the atmosphere as the sun slipped away, and enjoy.
Superyachts, supercars and super champagne
The next morning, a veritable flotilla of yachts greeted us as we crested over the French hills and began our descent to Monaco’s winding streets and our venue for the day: the Yoshi terrace at the luxurious Hotel Metropole, which is located in the Carre d’Or district (also known as the city’s Golden Square). Yoshi Monaco’s only Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant, which is set to be the home of Go Privilege at the Grand Prix for the next three years.
While Dua Lipa, Naomi Campbell and even Jeff Bezos and his soon-to-be bride bride Lauren Sanchez were photographed in the paddock - the restricted area by the garages where teams and VIPs mingle over a race weekend - Go Privilege guests (just 35 in total), were afforded a view overlooking one of the rare stretches of track that drivers can overtake on. Unlike the thronging streets below, it was the perfect spot from which to exchange waves with the drivers themselves, (hello, Max Verstappen!), as they completed their pre-race parade around the circuit from the back of a not-very glamorous truck, and to experience the wind in your hair as the cars thundered around the twisting track.
Inside (and in mercifully cool climes), was yet more champagne, as well as cocktails and premium wines, as well as that Michelin-worthy menu featuring sushi canapes, cilantro shrimp and lobster rolls; perfect food to pick on during the nearly two-hour race that saw Lando Norris hang onto pole position and clinch the cup.
With the scent of singed rubber still sticking in my senses, my Monaco experience had drawn to a dramatic close. Bring on Silverstone - even if it will involve my sofa.
Miranda Thompson was a guest of Go Privilege, whose Monaco Grand Prix 2026 packages start at £895 per person per day (Yoshi terrace at Hotel Metropole) and £1,000 per person per day (superyacht viewing), including all food, drinks and VIP passes.
