Places Behind the Races: Monaco edition
From celebrity football matches to tarts and Final Destination, it's all happening in Monaco this week!
Welcome or welcome back to ‘Places Behind the Races’ :) Throughout the 2025 season, Formula 1 will be visiting 24 different locations across 21 different countries. The global expanse of the sport is one of its best features, but I find that we don’t often talk about the places behind the races. With that in mind, I thought I would delve into everything fun and trending in the many locations that Formula 1 visits. From events and national holidays to movies and food trends, I have you covered. So, let’s get to it!
Disclaimer: While Monaco is its own entity, it is also a principality, and not technically its own country. With that in mind, the music, movie and TV show charts are based on French data, as this data does not readily exist for Monaco alone.
Events & Holidays
Racing Stars Football Cup (21st May) – A celebrity football match originally created following the tragic accident of F1 driver Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. ‘The Barbagiuans Monaco’ team is made up of professional football legends, music stars, comedians, actors and other sports. The ‘Nazionale Piloti’ team is made up of stars from F1, F2, F3 and other figures across motorsport. Money and donations made go towards the Jules Bianchi Association and Be Safe Monaco. Familiar names you can expect to see at this year’s match include: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Kimi Antonelli, Stefano Domenicalli, Norman Nato, Oliver Goethe and Dorian Boccolacci. While the event always seems like a good time, based on Charles Leclerc’s past record, I wouldn’t be expecting world-class football…
Top 10 Songs This Week (Official Charts)
NINAO – GIMS
CIEL – GIMS
Phenomenal – Jul
Piano – Werenoi, GIMS
Melrose Place – KeBlack, Guy2Bezbar
Mimi – Jul
Mood – KeBlack
KYKY2BONDY – Hamza
Feel Good – Charlotte Cardin
Pelican – L2B
Top 10 Shows This Week (Netflix):
Asterix & Obelix - When their druid forgets how to prepare the magic potion, Asterix and Obelix must defend the village as Caesar plots to use a Gallic law against them.
The Eternaut – After a toxic snowfall kills millions, Juan Salvo and a group of survivors in Buenos Aires must resist an invisible threat from another world.
The Four Seasons – The decades-long friendship between three married couples is tested when one divorces, complicating their tradition of quarterly weekend getaways.
You: Season 5 - Joe's story comes full circle to New York, as a family conflict threatens his glamorous marriage and an alluring new crush revives his darkest impulses.
FOREVER - Reunited as teens, two childhood friends fall deeply in love, experiencing the joy and heartache of a first romance that will change their lives forever.
Bad Boy - A comedian recounts how his wit kept him alive inside a brutal juvenile detention center in this raw, coming-of-age drama inspired by true events.
The Gardener - Elmer's mother used his lack of feelings to turn him into a hitman. But when he falls for his next victim, their cover as calm local gardeners wavers.
A Discovery of Witches: Season 1 – A covert witch and an enigmatic vampire break taboos as they join forces to unravel an ancient text that could save — or destroy — the magical world.
Unseen - In the wake of tragedy, Zenzi is forced to trust those who put her behind bars. Will her newfound desire for freedom finally put her grief to rest?
A Discovery of Witches: Season 2 - Diana learns about her vast powers and Matthew confronts his dark past as the pair travels back to the year 1590 in search of answers — and safety.
Top 5 Movies This Week (Netflix)
Last Bullet – Car genius Lino returns to conclude his vendetta against Areski and the corrupt commander who ruined their lives in this turbo-charged trilogy finale.
Bad Influence – An ex-con gets a fresh start when hired to protect a wealthy heiress from a stalker — but their chemistry is hard to resist as they grow closer.
Exterritorial – When her son vanishes inside a US consulate, ex-special forces soldier Sara does everything in her power to find him — and uncovers a dark conspiracy.
Tenor - A talented young rapper juggling part-time jobs in the suburbs of Paris gets a life-changing opportunity when an opera singer takes him under her wing.
Inside Man: Most Wanted – A hotshot NYPD negotiator butts heads with the FBI and meets his match in a meticulous criminal mastermind who attempts to rob the Federal Reserve.
Top 5 Movies This Week (Box Office)* - not updated yet for up to 18th May
Final Destination: Bloodlines - Plagued by a violent and recurring nightmare, a college student heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle of death and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Thunderbolts – Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes -- Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker -- embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Small Things Like These - In 1985, coal merchant Bill Furlong uncovers disturbing secrets in a small Irish town that's controlled by the Roman Catholic Church.
The Amateur - Charlie Heller is a brilliant CIA decoder whose world comes crashing down when his wife dies in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, his intelligence becomes the ultimate weapon as he embarks on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible.
Conclave - Cardinal Lawrence has one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, participating in the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.
Food trends
Barbagiuan – Considered Monaco’s national dish. This is a crispy fried pastry usually filled with ricotta, Swiss chard, and sometimes vegetables like spinach or pumpkin. Pastry and cheese? Sounds perfect!
Tourte de Blettes – a tart made with Swiss chard, which can be served as a main course or as a sweet dessert. It is a speciality from the city of Nice and is often made up of an olive oil-based crust.
Salade Niçoise – a famous salad from the Côte d’Azur region, usually made up of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives and anchovies or tuna, usually dressed with olive oil or a vinaigrette.
Bouillabaisse – a Provençal fish stew originating from Marseille. What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provençal herbs and spices in the broth; the use of bony local Mediterranean fish; the way the fish are added one at a time, brought to a boil; and the method of serving.
Pissaladière – This is a kind of pizza or tart, usually topped with caramelised onion and anchovies, but toppings can differ.
It’s crown jewel week!!!! Sadly, working two jobs means that I am going to be playing catch-up with most of the sessions this weekend. I might even have to miss the start of the race:(
However, that doesn’t take away from the excitement of the weekend ahead! We have F2 & F3 in support this weekend, and it’s also the one and only Indy 500 on Sunday too! What a weekend for motorsport in general, huh?
My excitement for Monaco is also slightly exacerbated by the fact that I will be making my return to the Principality later this year for a little weekend trip, and I cannot wait to go back!
Back on topic, though, have you seen that food? I would happily eat any of those dishes right now, and I am definitely going to have to get myself some authentic Barbagiuan when I’m there.
Did anyone else notice that, for the first time since its release, Adolescence isn’t included in the top shows in one of these features? It was released over two months ago, but alas, its impressive stint has come to an end.
I found the music chart interesting too, as it was similar to the Italian chart in the sense that it was way less influenced by global pop music culture. I have never heard of any of these songs or artists before, but clearly they are very popular amongst the French people (I’m sorry, Monagasque people, I know you don’t like to be called French, but you don’t have your own music chart yet).
Can we talk about the Ferrari fit change for this weekend? Specifically, this brand of meme that I have been seeing…
It’s so funny to me that we have somehow ended up in a reality where the Williams’ are genuinely fighting with the Ferraris, and it’s not a one-off good race, it’s because of their legit pace. It’s even funnier considering the whole situation with Carlos Sainz. Although the sad part is, I think Charles’ hometown winning days may be over. It was short, but it was very, very sweet. Hopefully, Ferrari will be able to unlock something before the race to at least give Charles and Lewis a shot at the podium.
Don’t worry, I’m not ignoring the biggest elephant in the room - the Alpine, Franco, Jack and Yuki situation that has unfolded this week. I think it was great for the team and Franco himself to stand against the behaviour of the (predominantly) Argentinian fans. It is a credit to Franco that they are so passionate; however, when it comes to racism and death threats, a line has to be drawn. No one wants to see another Augustin Canapino situation on our hands. I do have much more to say on this, but I am hoping to do an extended piece on this topic to fully unpack it all.
In terms of predictions for this weekend, I have no idea what is going to happen. We know Max is getting to grips with the car now (with the added help of some upgrades), so I would expect him to do well. Lando also usually goes well around Monaco, however, it was Oscar that represented McLaren on the podium there last year. I think the rookies will go fairly well around the circuit too, as all of them should have raced on this track in junior categories - lest we forget the phenomenal reaction time from Hadjar in the tunnel last year. There have also been rumours of rain, which could shake things up a bit and Monaco puts everyone on a knife edge anyway, especially in qualifying, so I think there is opportunity for some spicy results this weekend, even if it’s not done in overtakes. I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out!
See you on the other side:)
