It was supposed to be a glamorous weekend on the Riviera, but Kim Kardashian managed to make headlines for all the wrong reasons at the Monaco Grand Prix — and motorsport fans are not holding back.
The Towel That Broke the Internet
In footage shared widely on social media, the 45-year-old reality star was filmed picking up a towel from a numbered plinth on the podium — one that had been specifically set aside for race winner Kimi Antonelli following his fifth-consecutive victory for Mercedes. Kim appeared to use the towel to wipe her sunglasses before moving on, seemingly oblivious to what she'd just done.
"Imagine getting your first Monaco podium and immediately losing your towel to Kim Kardashian," one fan wrote on X, while another added bluntly: "Get these celebs out of the sport, man."
The clip prompted a wave of criticism online, with viewers divided between outrage and sheer bewilderment. "So it's a towel left on a pillar in between a walkway and she just grabs it to clean herself, no questions asked," one Reddit user wrote. "I'm just left more with a sense of bewilderment for what would provoke her to do that."
Others were less measured. "This is so rude," one commenter said. "How can people just do stuff like this?" Several viewers pointed out that a security guard appeared to signal to Kim using an umbrella, seemingly directing her towards the towel — which only added fuel to the fire. "The entitlement is just wow," one person replied. "Wealthy people really do think anything and everything is for them."
Blanking Brundle on the Grid
The towel incident wasn't Kim's only controversial moment of the weekend. Before the race, veteran Sky Sports F1 presenter Martin Brundle, 67, approached her during his famous Grid Walk — a pre-race tradition in which he chats with celebrities and VIPs in the pit lane. When Brundle asked Kim how she was and whether she was enjoying the racing, she smiled but said nothing, turning instead to sister Khloé and a companion before appearing to laugh.
The snub quickly went viral, with fans pointing out that Brundle is one of the most respected figures in the sport. "I would be so embarrassed omg," one viewer wrote, while another offered the rather cutting suggestion: "Bring back being ashamed of yourself."
Lewis Hamilton, Champagne and a Very Public Romance
Of course, Kim wasn't in Monaco by accident. She was there supporting boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the line in second place behind Antonelli — and wasted no time celebrating. The seven-time world champion was spotted spraying Kim with champagne after his podium finish, in what was one of their most public displays of affection to date.
The pair went Instagram official back in April, when Hamilton shared a video of himself drifting a vintage Ferrari through Tokyo — with Kim revealed in the passenger seat in the final shot, laughing as the car came to a stop. According to a source close to the couple, the romance began after the pair met at an Aspen New Year's party. "Lewis was there with three of his friends and some of his team members, but they still managed to have an intimate chat together and there appeared to be chemistry between them," the insider told Hello! magazine.
It's quite the whirlwind for Hamilton, who told TIME magazine in 2025: 'I'm hungry, driven, don't have a wife and kids. I'm focused on one thing, and that's winning. That's my No.1 priority.' Clearly, priorities can shift.
Whether Kim's Monaco misadventures will endear her to the notoriously passionate F1 fanbase remains to be seen — but with Hamilton's season in full swing and the couple firmly in the spotlight, she'd better get used to the cameras pointing her way. Next stop: the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on 14th June.
