insiders

IT was meant to be the Lewis Hamilton show as the F1 veteran celebrated after a record-equalling eighth podium finish at the glitzy Monaco Grand Prix.

But girlfriend Kim Kardashian, in a figure-hugging, backless Gucci cream dress, put that all in a spin as it was her bolshy disregard for trackside etiquette that made headlines.

During the pre-race build-up, she and her heavies barged race fans Holly Willoughby and Michael McIntyre in the paddock while they were being interviewed — and snubbed F1 legend Martin Brundle as he tried to interview her on the start grid.

After seven-time world champ Lewis, 41, had rung back the years to claim a surprise second-place finish, Kim then turned spoilsport as she ducked under a brolly to avoid being splashed with celebratory champagne.

Oh, and she whipped the towel laid out for the race winner, Italian teen Kimi Antonelli, to dry himself with.

The 45-year-old US reality star’s diva ways riled the fellow drivers’ Wags, sparking calls for her to be banned from the exclusive paddock and grid areas at future F1 races.

Our source trackside said: “Kim’s behaviour might pass in LA but the Europeans see it differently. The day should have been about the drivers, but it became the Kim K circus.

“People were watching in horror as she failed to embrace any of the F1 traditions. Snubbing Martin Brundle is one thing, but hiding from the champagne spray with an umbrella was a step too far for many — and the fact she just pushed Holly ­and Michael McIntyre out of the way was mind-blowing.

“Some of the other Wags were horrified and Alexandra Leclerc, the wife of Lewis’s Ferrari teammate Charles, was clearly unimpressed by her new trackside companion.

“Kim’s body language towards her as they watched the race was verging on rude. It was very uncomfortable to see.”

The Sun revealed earlier this year how Kim and Lewis had begun dating — but last weekend was the first time she has turned up to watch him race, joined by sister Khloe, 41.

Her dress was also a talking point because last month it was announced Gucci had become the first luxury fashion house to partner with an F1 team — launching Gucci Racing Alpine.

Our insider said: “The timing of Kim wearing Gucci can’t have been a coincidence. In fact she’s been wearing the brand a lot since she started dating Lewis.”

But as the Kardashian circus rolled into town, everyone and their VIP card was expected to make way, including former This Morning presenter Holly and TV funnyman Michael.

The moment was caught on film — with Holly and Michael left gobsmacked as their interview was disrupted and shouts of “mind out!” could be heard ringing out while Kim’s minders stormed past with her hidden away in their midst.

Michael could, at least, see the funny side as he reacted in his signature excitable tone, quipping: “It’s the Kardashians . . . I’m joining them!”

He also could not resist a cheeky reference to Kim’s famously mighty toosh — joking: “My back’s gone! I think something belonging to Kim, I’m not mentioning anything, may have struck me in my lower back area, and I’ve got to tell you that it hurt.”

But others were far from amused by the unwelcome Kardashian chaos.

Another source said: “Some of the other Wags thought Kim totally took over Monaco. It’s like the circus came to town — even the F1 Instagram account was posting about her. Many of the drivers’ wives and girlfriends are influencers, and races are their opportunity to shine. But all anyone spoke about was Kim.”

Race-goers also noted that after Kim barged her way into centre stage, no one was talking to her, as she was moved swiftly from one place to another by her huge team.

The Hollywood hoopla was in full swing but Kim had clearly failed to do her homework on paddock and grid dos and don’ts, and she had those in the sport’s inner circle blowing gaskets left, right and centre.

Cocking a snook at veteran Sky Sports interviewer and former F1 driver Martin Brundle got her off to the worst possible start before the race had begun.

In clips that have since gone viral, the Kardashians star can be seen briefly waving at 67-year-old Martin before then stone-cold blanking the ex-Benetton driver of Eighties and Nineties race fame.

When it came to the uncorking of champagne after the race, Kim went down about as well as a flat tyre as she recoiled in horror at the prospect of champagne spray detracting from her queen bee look.

To add insult to injury, she then grabbed the towel traditionally set out for the race winner and used it to wipe down her sunglasses before walking off with it.

A fan watching aghast as these antics unfolded, blasted: “What is Kim Kardashian doing on the F1 grid? She is making the moment all about her — it is one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. Ban celebrities from the grid.”

Another equally revved-up onlooker demanded: “Can we please ban these disrespectful ingrates like Kim Kardashian from F1? If you won’t show the people who make the sport what it is the respect they deserve, then you have no place in our world.”

Liv Blankson, a creator of online content for Formula 1, who has been following the sport since childhood and is a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton, was also baffled by Kim’s carrying on.

She told us: “There is an F1 etiquette and when someone takes a step wrong, it’s very obvious. I have no issue with her being there, but do worry that she will overshadow the racing, which is what us fans are actually there for.

“If you’re on the grid just before the race, you have to expect to be spoken to, it’s just what happens.

“You have to be prepared. The fact she didn’t talk to Martin could be seen as disrespectful. He was a well-known racing driver and I hate it when he gets blanked.

“That was my main gripe with Kim being there. If you are going to be there, then please do some research. Celebrity culture in F1 is getting bigger and will grow even more now that Kim is on the scene, but us fans like it when they make the effort to get to know racing, the drivers, the teams and all the people that make it happen.

“Lewis just seems happy and relaxed and he did well, so maybe she is good luck.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

Indeed, Lewis certainly seemed oblivious to the drama around his biggest and brashest new fan.

On the contrary, he even blew her a kiss from the podium as he gushed: “It’s amazing to have good people around you and good people supporting you.

“She does that for me every day. With my friends, incredible turnout just overall with people. I don’t really know what else to say.”

Thanking Kim again, he added: “It’s amazing to have her come this weekend and have the support.” A source said of the pair’s romance,

“They are in a serious, committed relationship” — and this latest public display of affection only sends the story into turbo-drive.

Lewis failed to take the winner’s spoils on race day as 19-year-old Mercedes wonderkid Antonelli, who replaced him on that team last year, beat him to the chequered flag and became the youngest ever winner of the Monaco Grand Prix.

But it was still a fine day for Lewis who matched the late, great Brazilian Ayrton Senna for Monaco podium finishes.

He moved up into second in this season’s drivers’ championship, leapfrogging his old Mercedes teammate George Russell and showing he has plenty left in the tank after a difficult season.

There have been rumblings that Lewis, now one of the oldest on the F1 circuit, may soon be on the home straight of his superstar career — but more results like the one this weekend will likely put such talk on hold.

And Kim may yet prove an asset.

Our insider said: “Lewis and Kim have the potential to be the next Posh and Becks of the racing world.

“Kim is a career mastermind and will no doubt be laying the groundwork.”

Next weekend, Lewis competes in the Spanish Grand Prix — but will Kim be along for the ride? Or consigned to the pits?

It is certainly too early to declare her his lucky charm, despite the weekend’s podium finish — but she sure knows how to command pole position.

AND SIX MORE BEAUTIES…

Alexandra Saint Mleux (Instagram followers: 4.6million)

SORRY ladies, but Ferrari’s golden boy, Charles Leclerc, is officially off the market.

Having dated Alexandra, 25, since May 2023, Charles broke millions of hearts when he tied the knot with the Mexican-French art historian in an intimate ceremony in, where else, Monaco earlier this year.

Kelly Piquet (Instagram followers: 2.5million)

IF there’s one woman who knows her way around a pit lane, it’s Kelly.

Not only has the Brazilian bombshell, 37, been dating former world champ Max Verstappen since 2020, but she’s the daughter of three-time F1 world champ Nelson Piquet.

She welcomed her first child, Lily, with Max last year.

Lily Muni He (Instagram followers: 1.4million)

WILLIAMS driver Alex Albon and his girlfriend Lily are a sporting power couple.

The 26-year-old Chinese sensation is a professional golfer who tears it up on the US-based LPGA tour.

Alex finally put a ring on it in January 2026 after six years of dating and the pair are now planning their wedding.

Rebecca Donaldson (Instagram followers: 815,000)

SPANISH driver Carlos Sainz has been smitten with 28-year-old Scottish model Rebecca since 2023.

The Perthshire-born beauty, who has a degree in International Fashion Branding, has fronted campaigns for massive global brands and has been spotted cheering on Carlos everywhere from Austin, Texas, to Jeddah.

Carmen Montero Mundt (Instagram followers: 849,000)

STUNNING Spanish finance professional and fashion influencer Carmen has been dating British F1 driver George Russell since 2020.

Engagement rumours have been swirling since the start of this year and just this month, George said they would be married within the next five years, declaring she is “without doubt my future”.

Lily Zneimer (Instagram followers: private)

LILY met Aussie F1 driver Oscar Piastri at boarding school in England and they started dating in 2019, when they were 17.

Unlike some of the other Wags, Lily likes a quiet life, doesn’t have a public Instagram and is rarely seen out with Oscar.

She is an engineering graduate though, so we might be seeing more of her in the paddock in future.

Top Gear was suspended before the BBC announced in November 2023 that it would not be returning “for the ­foreseeable future” but now insiders say it is returning

Four years after the horror crash that saw Freddie Flintoff suffer life-changing injuries, the car show Top Gear is being brought back by the BBC according to insiders.

In 2022, Freddie’s life was changed after a car crash while filming BBC1’s Top Gear at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey left him with devastating facial injuries. He underwent extensive reconstructive surgery led by maxillofacial surgeon Mr Jahrad Haq. Freddie is believed to have been paid £9million compensation.

The popular series was suspended before the BBC announced in November 2023 that it would not be returning “for the ­foreseeable future”. However, Prime Video has since announced a reboot of The Grand Tour, the motoring show hosted by Clarkson, May and Hammond after they left Top Gear.

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A new presenting team will replace former hosts Andrew Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. BBC Studios has already started work on the reboot, which could be aired next year — half a century after the show launched in 1977.

An insider told The Sun: “BBC bosses are keen to revive Top Gear because they have never filled the space it left behind and so many viewers hanker after a motoring show. And it’s not just in Britain that the programme is much loved, it is a brand in its own right and watched by millions around the globe.

“Which is why it wasn’t just important to satisfy the needs of petrolheads, but also, specifically, fans of Top Gear. They’ll be thrilled to hear it is returning.”

The search is already under way for new presenters for the show.

Hosts over the years

The show’s most successful period came with Jeremy Clarkson and the little-known Richard Hammond and James May — plus the mysterious Stig — from 2002 to 2015.

There was a brief period from 2016 when DJ Chris Evans and Friends star Matt LeBlanc took over. Then in 2019, former England cricket captain “Freddie” Flintoff and comedian Paddy signed up to present alongside motoring expert Chris.

While the BBC insider said the show “is returning” the Beeb and BBC Studios, who produce the show, said they had no updates on whether the show was returning.

A spokesman for BBC Studios said: “The Top Gear brand continues to thrive across digital, publishing, and global formats. As a commercial producer, we’re always exploring new ways to develop the brand and reach audiences by leveraging such iconic IP.”

WHEN pop superstar Justin Timberlake started dating actress Jessica Biel, they quickly became Hollywood’s hottest couple. 

But now, after 14 years of marriage, their relationship is going through a positively chilly phase. For long-suffering Jessica, 44, has drawn a line in the sand following a relentless string of public embarrassments, serving her husband with a brutal ultimatum to clean up his act, or she is out.

From the humiliating release of bodycam footage showing Justin’s June 2024 drink-driving arrest to fresh whispers of intoxicated antics at a Las Vegas golf tournament just weeks ago, the Cry Me A River singer’s fall from grace has pushed his wife to the edge, according to reports.

But the drama doesn’t stop there. Insiders tell The Sun that Justin pulled the plug on a $100 million NSYNC reunion, in a last stand bid to save his marriage. 

Behind closed doors, those who work closely with the couple say Jessica has been the “glue” holding the family together. 

A well-placed Los Angeles producer, who has worked closely with Jessica, tells The Sun that the actress’s marriage can sometimes be a far cry from the fairytale Justin sold the world in the 2010s.

The insider says: “Jessica is a superwoman. For the last decade, she has run the home, carried and raised two boys, continued acting and enjoyed success with a production company in Hollywood. Where she has found the time and energy to balance is staggering. She has been the glue.”

The couple’s permanent relocation to the luxury Yellowstone Club in Montana was Jessica’s way to shield their sons, Silas, 11, and Phineas, 5, from the downsides of fame.

“She took huge pride in being a hands-on mother, ensuring that her kids would be raised in the most normal way and not be impacted by LA life or Hollywood temptations and dramas,” the insider explains. 

“Her boys are the most important thing in her life, and she will do her utmost to protect them. That would have absolutely been made clear to Justin.”

But while Jessica thrives in the tranquillity of the mountains, Justin remains obsessed with the spotlight. 

His gruelling Forget Tomorrow world tour, which finally wrapped last summer after more than 100 gigs, kept him away from home for massive chunks of time and put a strain on their marriage.

Our source adds: “When the lights go out, Jessica is still a devoted, hard-working mum wanting to do the best for her kids.

“Justin is committed, but is also balancing this battle to remain a pop star and entertainer. In today’s world, if you disappear for too long, you become forgotten or irrelevant. That is something Justin would never let happen.”

This desperate need for validation, however, has come at a steep personal cost.

Jessica’s own career has been flying high. She poured her heart into her production company, Iron Ocean Productions, and her acclaimed 2025 series The Better Sister earned her a prestigious 2026 Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Actress. 

Yet, when her big moment arrived in January, her husband was absent from the red carpet.

“Many industry figures were shocked that Justin didn’t walk the carpet to support her,” the producer notes. 

“She had been there for him over the previous seven months. Regardless of his recent scandals, it would have been a great public display of unity.”

Justin’s erratic decision making hasn’t just alienated his wife; he has also managed to infuriate his oldest friends.

The Sun can reveal that the singer recently blew a chance to catapult himself back centre stage by walking away from an epic NSYNC 30th anniversary reunion.

The highly lucrative comeback – which included proposals for a live comeback show, a lucrative Las Vegas residency, and a documentary – could have netted the five bandmates a staggering $100 million.

A top music executive, who was intimately involved in the proposals, claimed Justin’s refusal to commit has caused bitter “disdain and disappointment” among his former bandmates.

They said: “Justin let the boys down, and really killed the chance for a special 30th anniversary adventure. The other boys were the driving forces with everyone on board initially… well, that is what they believed.”

“Pinning down Justin just could not be done. It wasn’t so much that he was saying outright no, but more just not committing. There was a real hope for something momentous and exciting to play out, which could have really put them back to the top of the music world again.”

The insider notes that the bond between the five men, who were once like brothers, has been severely damaged.

“Those five men have been friends through many highs and lows. But this took something away from that bond. Publicly, of course, they will always support Justin, but this was really seen as a wasted chance to make magic happen.”

But those close to Justin say that walking away from the NSYNC reunion was an attempt to rebalance his work with his family life and repair his relationship with his wife.

Justin’s reluctance to embark on a massive boyband tour was also undoubtedly influenced by his latest health battle. 

Last summer, the singer revealed he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, a debilitating bacterial infection that wreaked havoc on him both mentally and physically. 

Jessica, ever the dutiful wife, stepped up to the plate.

Our source says: “Last summer Jessica really urged her husband to slow down, recover fully and seek the best medical advice. There was a huge sense that Justin really had a tough time on the road doing the dance moves and powering through so many shows with his medical issues.”

“Jessica was really kind, caring, and sympathetic. Justin’s mood and outlook was hit quite hard at the diagnosis. The reality is that his entire future as a performer is potentially on the line given how debilitating Lyme disease can be.”

Even the music executive admitted that the health crisis “must have played a key factor in him stepping back” from the NSYNC tour, though they noted that “there were projects like a doc film which would not have needed him to dance or perform”.

Despite her immense sympathy for his health struggles, Jessica’s patience with Justin’s headline-grabbing antics is running dry.

It’s not the first time he has embarrassed his wife. In 2019, The Sun revealed pictures of him drinking and holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright.

Justin was forced to admit he had been drinking alcohol during the encounter, describing it as a “strong lapse of judgement” but insisted “nothing happened”.

He also added a grovelling apology to his family, writing: “I drank way too much that night and regret my behaviour. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son.”

“I apologise to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be.”

Then in 2024, Justin was arrested for drink-driving. The police bodycam footage was released earlier this year, and shows the slurring singer complaining to cops that they were ruining his “world tour”.

Jessica distracted from the embarrassing footage and posted a loved-up snap with her husband on February 1st, captioning it: “Happy 45th to a true original. I love you baby.”

But then last week on April 18 eyewitness reports say that Justin once-again appeared intoxicated at a golf tournament in Las Vegas.

Since then, Page Six reported Jessica was ready to “pull the trigger” on the marriages, with an insider adding: “There’s not much more she can take.”

Now with an ultimatum on the table it appears Jessica is officially done playing the doting wife.

Our source said: “Knowing what a straight shooter she is, there is no way she would hold back on telling her husband exactly how she feels.”

If Justin doesn’t clean up his act, it could be Jessica saying “Bye Bye Bye” to their marriage once and for all.

Jessica and Justin’s representatives were contacted for comment. 

Sara Cox has landed a new deal after her hit series The Marvellous Miniature Workshop was recomissioned for a bumper new series – with DOUBLE the number of episodes

Presenter Sara Cox has officially cemented her status as the BBC’s golden girl after landing a major new television deal just days after being unveiled as the new host of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

In a move that proves the broadcaster is firmly betting on the 51-year-old star, the Beeb has handed Cox a bumper new contract for her hit series, The Marvellous Miniature Workshop.

Insiders say the move is a “huge vote of confidence” in Sara, who is now arguably one of the most in-demand women in British broadcasting. The BBC One show, which Sara hosts, has been recommissioned with more than DOUBLE the number of episodes. It will also be extended from 30 to 45 minutes.

The crafting show is seen as a “new Repair Shop” for the channel and was a big hit when it launched at the end of last year. A BBC insider said: “This is a massive show of faith in Sara who is going down a storm with audiences – and the BBC is backing her all the way.”

The show sees Sara and a team of expert miniaturists recreate cherished buildings and locations tied to contributors’ personal histories. BBC bosses have upped the show from eight to 20 shows.

Sara said: “I’m absolutely over the moon about the new series of Marvellous Miniature Workshop, it’s easily the most heartwarming and wonderful programme I’ve ever been involved with. I can’t wait to hear more stories, help unearth more memories and watch our superb miniaturists breathe life back into places long since gone or neglected.”

The show – which was nominated for a Royal Television Society award earlier this year – is made by EarlyBird, the newly launched production company founded by Dom Bird.

Bird, who is also the executive producer of Gladiators and The Apprentice, said: “I’m delighted Sara’s returning to BBC One for this new run.

Seeing audiences respond so positively to The Marvellous Miniature Workshop has been a real pleasure and I’m thrilled that the BBC has commissioned EarlyBird to deliver this super-sized order.

These extended 45-minute episodes will enable Sara to immerse viewers even further into the extraordinary artistry of our miniaturists, showcasing the programme’s exceptional ability to capture the magic in the minutiae.”

Rachel Platt, commissioning editor for BBC Daytime added: “We’re delighted to be able to bring back this absolute treat of a series with an extended run and run time. Sometimes small things need bigger packages.”

News of the new TV deal comes after Sara was announced as Radio 2’s second female breakfast host, after Zoe Ball. It came after Scott Mills was sacked by the BBC over an investigation into serious sexual offences involving an underage boy.

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