Princess Charlene drinks champagne offered by winning driver Daniel Ricciardo at the Monaco Grand Prix

Princess Charlene drinks champagne offered by winning driver Daniel Ricciardo at the Monaco Grand Prix
With it's show-stealing scenery and beautiful people, the Monaco Grand Prix is well known for being the most glamorous fixture in the Formula One calendar - and the high-octane event didn't disappoint today. Princess Charlene of Monaco, in a daring thigh-split dress, led a crowd of race-goers that included supermodel Bella Hadid, the cream of Europe's high society and - controversially - an unofficial troupe of grid girls. And in the cobalt blue waters off this money-drenched enclave, the world's largest superyacht - owned by Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko - rivalled the F1 cars as it sailed into view. Charlene, 40, cut a demure figure in the chic sleeveless summer frock, with towering heels, as she enjoyed a tour of the F1 race cars. However, when the chequered flag fell and granted Australian Daniel Ricciardo victory in the race, Charlene was clearly in high spirits and happy to join the victorious Red Bull driver for a swig of the obligatory post-race champers on the podium. Rivalling the Monaco royal in the glamour stakes was a low-key Bella Hadid. The catwalk queen, 21, was spotted shortly before the highly-race in a textured crop vest - giving onlookers a peek at her slender waistline. And jetting in from the UK were TOWIE's Chloe Lewis, sporting F1 red, Made in Chelsea star Emily Blackwell and Australian lingerie model Roxy Horner, who opted for an all white above-the-knee close-fitting dress with dazzling white trainers. Elsewhere, the grid girls made a dazzling return to the paddock at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix despite earlier being banned by Formula One's owners. Harking back to the old days of the sport - a troupe of women dressed in racy outfits graced the grid bearing branding from one of F1's biggest sponsors Tag Heuer. And despite being a controversial feature of the struggling sport - their presence seemed to go down well with the drivers. 'Women are the most beautiful thing in the world,' said defending world champion Lewis Hamilton. 'Monaco is a very elegant grand prix and when we pull up to the grid and there's beautiful women on the grid, that's the Monaco Grand Prix and that's a lovely thing.' After the first two practice sessions, held on a Thursday as a concession to the fact that if you close the roads in Monte Carlo for three straight days then life is impossible, it looks like Red Bull have the best pace while Ferrari and Mercedes are very close together indeed. On a normal weekend, that would be pretty exciting. The prospect of Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel all tussling in cars with similar performance levels should be a mouth-watering one. But it isn’t. I will be busying myself with almost anything else in a desperate attempt to stop me gnawing my own arm off with boredom. “It’s a prestigious race. We’ve been coming here a long time and it’s a unique course,” Mark Webber told me when I asked him this week about what makes the race so special for drivers. It becomes more unique every year because they don’t do tracks like this any more. “It’s sensational for the drivers to be able to let loose on a tight, twisty, intimate track which is insane in terms of sensation of speed. “It’s coming at you thick and fast and it’s a real sensational test of man and machine against the track.” That time-trial drama means Saturday’s hour of qualifying will likely be the only F1 excitement on offer this weekend - unless rival broadcasters David Coulthard and Martin Brundle clash on the notoriously tight and celebrity-packed grid. There’s no doubting the glitz and glamour of the race. The track itself is at the very heart of the principality where one third of residents are millionaires, as are an even higher percentages of its visitors for the weekend, no doubt. And for those on hand to witness the event, it is surely a special - if eye-wateringly expensive - couple of days. But that accounts for a tiny percentage of those contributing to the F1 product. It is the international fan base that really suffers on Monaco weekend, where on-track overtaking is almost impossible. The rules are clear before you get here. It’s not going to be Monza or Shanghai where you get here and there’s passing moves galore. That’s just the way it is,” Webber added. “We have a few races like this on the calendar per year and Monaco is probably one of the worst tracks in the world for overtaking. “But for the drivers, it’s one of the biggest tests and that’s why they do enjoy it. Every driver is buzzing driving this track. “Fans at home want to see overtaking but as drivers, some weekends are about us. We enjoy ourselves here a lot.” The former Olympic swimmer was also joined by her husband Prince Albert II, 60, who donned a smart suit and shirt as he accompanied his smiling wife. Princess Charlene stepped out in Monaco on Sunday for the final race after wandering around during the practice races with her husband Prince Albert II on Saturday afternoon. The striking royal added a pop of pink lipstick to match the colours in her dress which was nipped in at the waist to accentuate her athletic figure. She also chose a pair of blue stiletto heels to elongate her slender legs and a matching blue bag. Raising the glamour stakes from yesterday's casual khaki jumpsuit, Charlene had her short bob swept back off her face to show off her diamond earrings. I bet they do. For Charles Leclerc, the grid’s only true Monegasque, this is a home race even the most curmudgeonly F1 fan would not wish to deny him. He is Monaco born and bred and it will be a special day on Sunday when he races around the streets he has walked all his life (if anyone in Monte Carlo does walk anywhere). Countless F1 stars past and present - Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Riccardo, Brendon Hartley, Romain Grosjean, Nico Rosberg, David Coulthard and Paul Di Resta just name a few - have chosen to make the income tax-free millionaire’s playground their primary residence. Sponsors too enjoy unfettered access to the race and the chance to associate their brand with the world-famous location. But in an increasingly crowded entertainment marketplace, that will not be enough. Young fans with shorter attention spans and desire for wheel-to-wheel racing are increasingly switching off and finding other things to do - just as I will be on Sunday. Currently, Monaco do not even pay the staging fee that other races have to fork out for the privilege of hosting. That may change as Liberty Media begin to realise what the true value of their product is. Otherwise, we may soon see the unthinkable: an F1 World Championship calendar without the red-and-white flag of Monaco on show Source : https://www.express.co.uk http://www.dailymail.co.uk

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