Kardashian-Hamilton romance overshadows Antonelli's historic victory

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Kim Kardashian-Lewis Hamilton romance overshadows Kimi Antonelli's historic 2026 Monaco Grand Prix victory

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 8, 2026 12:53 PM ET

Mercedes Formula One driver Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, but many fans were paying more attention to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

Several of these spectators were curious to see how Hamilton would perform with his new girlfriend, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, attending. Quite well, it turns out.

Lewis Hamilton podiumed at 2026 Monaco Grand Prix with Kim Kardashian watching

Hamilton finished second behind Antonelli. He blew a kiss to Kardashian from the podium.

"I have to congratulate Kimi, they have done it again," the British driver said after the race (h/t ESPN's Tom Rostance). "He is doing an incredible job. We have been progressing, but we can't quite keep up with them yet. To get second again in Monaco, I will definitely take it."

Kim Kardashian watches on as Lewis Hamilton lifts the P2 trophy on the podium! ✨#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/2OcFYWIR6I
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 7, 2026

Hamilton has now finished second in consecutive races, but he's still way behind Antonelli in the drivers' standings. The Mercedes star (156 points) now leads the Ferrari standout (90 points) by 66 points.

Don't expect Antonelli to squander his lead. He's on a roll after winning five consecutive races and making history. The Italian phenom is the youngest driver (19 years, nine months and 13 days) to win F1's most famous race.

Hamilton — who has won a record 105 Grands Prix — is worried Antonelli could surpass that number if he keeps it up.

"That's a lot of wins, buddy, you're catching me up, man!" the seven-time world champion joked before stepping on the podium, via ESPN's Nate Saunders.

Antonelli has a long way to go before he's on the same tier as Hamilton, and he may never be as big a star. Hamilton has been one of the more polarizing drivers in the world since he started racing on the F1 grid in March 2007. He'll be even more so now that he's dating Kardashian, also a lightning rod.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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