Cars & motorsport
Beyond the Grid: The F1 TAG Heuer Monaco Affair
To speak of TAG Heuer in Monaco is to speak of destiny and of a horological liaison so rich with nostalgia and high-octane sensuality that it requires something more than press releases and podiums to articulate – it needs theatre. And oh, what a performance they gave.
By Ash Longet
PR & Business Development
There are few places in the world where time feels less urgent, and yet more consequential, than Monaco during Grand Prix weekend.
Here, the hours are counted not by minutes, but by moments – some flitting by in the slipstream of a Red Bull RB20, others savored slowly, like the final sip of Krug on the sun-dappled deck of Le Bougainville.
And this year, perhaps more than any other, the metronome of the moment was unmistakably TAG Heuer.
Back Where It Belongs
In 2025, the Swiss watchmaker returned to the apex of Formula 1 as Official Timekeeper – a role it occupies not as a duty, but as a birthright – and, for the first time in history, the title partner of the Monaco Grand Prix. That name, engraved in motor racing’s marble halls, now shared top billing with the city-state.
To celebrate this historic merger of machine and Maison, TAG Heuer moored Le Bougainville in the Port of Monaco – a yacht that, much like the timepieces unveiled on-board, manages to be impossibly modern while conjuring the elegance of a bygone age.
But before we revel in the glamor, let’s step behind the scenes of the race.
VIP Access Granted
Thanks to TAG Heuer and FIA, we were granted entry into a rarified world. We began with the heart of the matter: qualifying, which in Monaco is arguably more important than the race itself.
With overtaking near-impossible on the serpentine, yacht-flanked circuit, pole position is often synonymous with victory. And from the glass-fronted sanctum of the TAG Heuer VIP Lodge, perched above Sainte Dévote, like it was a royal box in a theater, we watched as Lando Norris carved a perfect lap through the streets, the roar of his McLaren bouncing off the limestone facades like a hymn to speed.
Another highlight was the pit lane walk – a moment that felt as if time itself had paused. Amid the hum of pre-race prep, we stopped for a private tour of the Red Bull Racing paddock, a choreography of carbon fiber and caffeine where mechanics worked with a focus more intense than any atelier. It was here that we got a wink from Yuki Tsunoda and a nod from Christian Horner.
Then came a moment of genuine awe: entry into the Race Control Room. Rarely shown to outsiders, it is Formula 1’s nerve center – part war room, part luxury airport tower.
Dozens of screens, voices crackling across channels, telemetry streaming in real time. One is reminded of a NASA mission or the flight deck at Charles de Gaulle. Every penalty, yellow flag, and strategic call runs through this room before it flashes out in real time, as a consequence on the circuit.
Trackside, Starstruck and Off Script
As night fell and the Monaco skyline bled into gold, we boarded TAG Heuer’s yacht for an evening that was a curated fever dream. Between sips of Moët & Chandon and Naomi Campbell’s turn at the decks, we talked to Patrick Dempsey, actor, racer, gentleman, who spoke candidly about the overlap between performance on track and presence on screen.
Equally illuminating was our conversation with Gulf Oil’s CEO Mike Jones, whose excitement about the newly launched TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf was as tangible as the watch itself. Not to be overlooked: a brief but warmly welcomed catch-up with Max Vestarppen snatched during a rare pause between qualifying and the main event.
Indeed, Le Bougainville bore witness to even more sophistication, like a convivial exchange between Prince Albert II of Monaco, his son Alexandre Grimaldi, and Lee Jung-jae, of Squid Game fame, or a hushed toast shared among watch industry titans Bernard Arnault, Thierry Stern, Jean-Christophe Babin, and TAG Heuer CEO Antoine Pin.
As the sun kissed the sea and the harbor lights awakened, the beau monde gathered on deck to be serenaded by Lola Young, whose smoky vocals gave way to an unforgettable DJ set by Naomi Campbell, turning the upper deck into Monaco’s most exclusive dancefloor.
