The Monaco Grand Prix has long been more than a test of throttle and skill; it is a festival of wealth and conspicuous consumption wrapped in the guise of motorsport. In 2025, the spectacle on the asphalt was rivalled only by that on the water. The harbour at Port Hercule, normally a quiet marina, transformed into a floating showcase of superyachts and social capital.

Over 200 vessels, many exceeding 24 metres in length, moored alongside one another, providing prime trackside viewing for the well-heeled and well-connected. From the deck of a £12 million Mangusta GranSport, one could watch McLaren’s Lando Norris claim a hard-fought victory while sipping champagne and discussing market allocations, or simply admire the tangle of carbon fibre and concrete below. The yachts, some little more than private hotels on the sea, offered gourmet catering, open bars, and private tender services ferrying guests to the paddock.

The yacht scene is a microcosm of Monaco itself: ostentation tempered by impeccable taste. Max Verstappen’s vessel, “Unleash the Lion,” with its five staterooms and sundeck, epitomised the blend of performance and luxury, while other entries—from Lawrence Stroll to Toto Wolff—added to the maritime tableau. For many, the yachts are less about watching the race than signalling membership in an exclusive club, a place where deals and alliances are forged as deftly as any overtaking manoeuvre on the circuit.

Evenings were no less choreographed than the race itself. Superyachts hosted private parties and cocktail soirees, with music, laughter, and the occasional discreet negotiation floating across the harbour. Here, the Grand Prix was a pretext, the track a backdrop to the display of wealth, influence, and taste.

Port Hercule resembled a floating city of indulgence. Over 200 yachts, many exceeding 24 metres, moored alongside one another. Among them were some of the world’s most notable vessels: Jeff Bezos’s Koru, moored with his fiancée Lauren Sánchez ahead of their impending wedding, and Bernard Arnault’s Symphony, a testament to the luxury empire of Europe’s richest man and a reminder of LVMH’s partnership with Formula 1 for the next decade. Other superyachts dotted the harbour, each a stage for the rich, famous, and well-connected to see—and be seen.

The yachts served as more than viewing platforms. They were hospitality suites in motion, offering trackside views, gourmet dining, and private access to the paddock. Packages ranged from $10,000 upwards, granting patrons the opportunity for track walks, driver meet-and-greets, and glimpses behind the garage doors where the real engineering ballet unfolds. For the global elite, attendance was as much about networking and social positioning as it was about lap times.

The event drew a constellation of celebrities, entrepreneurs, and financiers. European business luminaries mingled with Hollywood actors, all circling a shared orbit of wealth and influence. Onboard, champagne flowed, deals were quietly discussed, and cameras clicked—the Monaco Grand Prix doubling as an annual rite of conspicuous consumption.

In Monaco, as in finance or fashion, appearances matter. The 2025 Grand Prix was a reminder that in certain circles, the spectacle off-track can rival the spectacle on it. Motorsport, for those aboard the yachts, is as much about positioning oneself socially as it is about positioning tyres.