I went to the Monaco Grand Prix and almost forgot there was a race

When I landed in Monaco, heavy-eyed from the red-eye flight from Newark, I looked at the tarmac filled with so many private jets, it looked like a line of cars vying for space at your local mall. Only in Monaco do you discover that there is something that my friend described as “the billionaire of the moment must have” – bombardier global 6000A $62 million long plane with an entire dining area. This was my first indication that in Monaco, everything from modes of arrival to accommodation, clothes and watches glittered with the glitter of today’s bottomless rich.

However, private jets are not the only way to land in Monaco, where this logistical matter is also an opportunity to show off. As Enzo Ferrari once said, “To be first, you must arrive first.” This quote echoed in my mind when I went to Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, where those who don’t come in PJs arrive via superyacht. Eight weeks before the event, the estate, which is only slightly smaller than Central Park, undergoes an extensive transformation, even replanting its palm trees to accommodate what is considered the crown jewel of the F1 season and the European social calendar. The race remains largely unchanged since the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929, in fact it takes place on the streets of Monte-Carlo, which is closed to support all the infrastructure needed to make the whole thing possible.

At the event’s opening dinner with the race’s title sponsor TAG Heuer, I learned that Monaco is completely unique on the F1 calendar. “The way to understand it is that, today, the F1 calendar is divided into two parts,” said Nicolas Bibuc, TAG Heuer’s heritage director, between bites of tuna tataki prepared by Michelin-starred chef Philippe Etchebest. “You have the lifestyle races – Vegas, Miami – that really drive the brand of F1. Then you have what I call the ‘spirited’ races: Spa, Silverstone, etc. Monaco is a mix of both, with the strongest combination of lifestyle and history.”

Of all 24 F1 races, Monaco is uniquely positioned as a blend of flashy overconsumption and true heritage. “Fundamentally, it is still the same as it has been since its inception,” Biebuke explained. Despite safety upgrades and some additions such as an Olympic-sized Moet-branded swimming pool, the track remains the same. Monaco is known for its iconic hairpin curves, challenging elevation changes and notoriously narrow roads, which make it almost impossible for cars to pass each other without a crash or pit-lane mishap.