Kim

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.

HOLLY Willoughby has poked fun at the moment she appeared to be shoved aside by Kim Kardashian at the Monaco Grand Prix, sharing a series of behind-the-scenes snaps.

The TV favourite appeared to see the funny side of the viral moment as she gave fans a glimpse into her glamorous race weekend.

Holly shared a collection of videos from the star-studded event on Instagram, including several behind-the-scenes candid moments from the famous race.

She even addressed that awkward moment she got caught up in Kim Kardashian’s huge entourage during a live interview with pal Michael McIntyre.

They were being interviewed by Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham when Holly said: “We are so lucky to be here.”

Shortly after, they were swept away by security guards.

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Michael said: “It’s a wave! It’s the Kardashians! I’m joining them!”

He followed them, leaving Holly behind. But then he returned, joking that he sustained an injury, saying: “We’ve got a live update. I’ve just been hit by like a wave.

“You know when you’re on holiday and a wave hits you and it’s like “that’s actually quite dangerous”. We’ve been Kardashian waved.”

Holly added: “That was ridiculous.”

Michael added: “My back’s gone. I think something belonging to Kim, I’m not mentioning anything, may have struck me in my lower back earlier. And I gotta tell you, it hurt!”

Referencing the now-viral encounter, the presenter jokingly hinted that she had survived the “wave” as fans flooded the comments with laughing emojis and support.

She captioned the post: What a weekend! Monaco you didn’t disappoint… @williamsf1team @jv.f1 thank you for having us, hard to pick a highlight, grid walks, hot laps (I will post this later, safe to say I wasn’t built for speed 😵‍💫) all topped off by getting caught up in a @kimkardashian fly past 🤣

“Also Barry and Daimo thankyou for your hospitality… that’s one weekend that I’ll never forget 🏎️🏁❤️ ✨“.

One fan commented: “Amazing!!!! Saw you and Michael McIntyre nearing taken out by the KimK team 😂. Looked incredible!”

Another added: “@michaelmcintyre on the grid walk with the Kardashians was a highlight 😂“.

A third penned: “@michaelmcintyre was mint!!!!! Surprised though he wasn’t tackled to the ground by her security! 😂“

A fourth said: “The kardashian wave was the funniest thing ive seen in a long time 😂 @hollywilloughby”.

For the glamorous weekend, Holly dressed to impress in a series of chic outfits, stepping out in a stylish blue playsuit on one day and a sleek black sleeveless dress on another.

The presenter completed both looks with understated accessories and effortless styling as she mingled with fellow celebrities and Formula One guests in Monaco.

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian made her F1 trackside debut to support her Ferrari driver boyfriend Lewis Hamilton.

She arrived with her sister Khloe Kardashian as well as a huge entourage.

Kim wore a stunning cream one-shoulder maxi dress, while Khloe opted for a satin plunge midi dress also in cream.

Kim watched the race and Lewis narrowly miss out on winning.

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest winner at 19 years old. 

Despite the loss, Lewis appeared in high spirits as he blew Kim a kiss and sprayed her with champagne as he celebrated on the podium.

Kim and Lewis have been friends for over a decade.

They were first spotted getting cosy on New Year’s Eve in Aspen. 

They went public with their romance at the Super Bowl in February.

Just last week, they took a huge step in their relationship as he was seen with her four children for the first time.

A source previously said that the couple have an “intense” relationship and Kardashian’s family absolutely “adores” him.

There’s no crying in baseball, but Kim Ng works in softball now. And as commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, the former Dodgers assistant general manager has been fielding lots of tearful feedback from fans overcome by the fact that softball players finally, finally have a big league of their own.

“I can’t even tell you the number of people that have approached me, just openly sobbing with happiness,” she said. “It’s been incredible, experiencing all of that and understanding how long people have been waiting for something like this.”

It really is like that. Ask Lisa Fernandez, softball pioneer and total boss: “I’ll be watching and get emotional, just looking at how far this game has come.”

With MLB backing the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, or AUSL, for a second season and Ng back to steer it, sustainable professional softball is starting to feel real.

Former UCLA pitcher Rachel Garcia plays for Athletes Unlimited Team McQuillin.

(Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

Fernandez remembers when it was a huge deal to get one softball game on TV, and now ESPN will broadcast 50 AUSL games and ABC will carry the championship. And after last year’s four-team 10-city barnstorming tour, the league will add two teams and anchor itself to locations in North Carolina, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah.

The ball gets rolling on Tuesday, just days after the conclusion of the Women’s College World Series — which last season averaged a record 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, including pulling 3.9 million for UCLA’s thriller against Tennessee.

Big steps, baby steps. All going the right direction.

“I would hope that we are the major league baseball of softball,” Ng, 57, said in a phone conversation. “That is a good number of teams, spread out across the country, with a huge following, all of our games televised.

“That’s the goal. To be the MLB of softball.”

Ng spent more than 30 years in the MLB, including a decade-long stint with the Dodgers. She was also the first woman to serve as a big-league general manager, leading the Miami Marlins from 2020 through the 2023 season. She declined her option after the team made its first full-season playoff appearance in two decades and then announced plans to introduce a president of baseball operations position that would’ve siphoned away some of her say-so.

Miami Marlins general manger Kim Ng, left, sits in a golf cart and talks with manager Marlins Skip Schumaker during a 2023 spring training workout.

(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

“Breaking that glass ceiling, that’s special to me,” Ng said. “But I think in a different way, this [work with the AUSL] is for sure one of the more meaningful things I’ve done.”

She said a former MLB colleague recently asked her about the AUSL: “I said, ‘I’m working for the women now.’”

The former co-worker corrected her: “You were always working for the women.’”

Before that, as a kid, she was a softball infielder in Long Island and then at the University of Chicago. “I was scrappy,” Ng said, “which is definitely how I describe my personality and the way I approach most things in life.”

It’s served her well. And now it’s serving softball, a sport that for decades has been among the most popular for girls in America, even without long-term playing prospects or pro players to strive to emulate.

Compare it with basketball: About three-quarters of the WNBA’s current players have never even lived in a world without an established professional women’s basketball league in America.

UCLA star hitter Megan Grant will play in the Athletes Unlimited softball league after wrapping up her record-setting college career.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

The NBA-backed WNBA is celebrating its 30th season this summer with a lucrative new CBA and 15 teams, two of them expansion franchises, including one in Canada, and the Bay Area-based Golden State Valkyries valued at $850 million.

The AUSL is about to embark on Year 2.

There have been attempts to start up professional softball leagues before. Those weren’t just long shots, more like Megan Grant moonshots.

But now we have Bryanna Lopez, a 12-year-old catcher from Alhambra, sitting in the Easton Stadium stands at UCLA, watching her heroes play and telling me, without hesitation: “I want to play professional softball. It’s a really big dream.”

And a really big deal.

For players and a growing audience of folks like Kaitlyn Laabs, the superfan in a chef’s hat at UCLA games, who want to watch the home run queen Grant continue to mash. To see her teammates Jordan Woolery keep flaunting her flashy slash line and Taylor Tinsley sharpening her wicked arsenal of pitches.

UCLA starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley and first baseman Jordan Woolery are poised to start their professional softball careers this week.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

“A lot of times, seniors come in their last year thinking it’s the end of their career, and that puts a lot more pressure,” UCLA’s Woolery said earlier this month, before the Bruins advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the third straight season. “So, for me, Megan, Tins, [the AUSL] opens us up a little bit to play free, knowing it’s not the end of the road.”

Ng’s presence, first as an adviser and starting last season as commissioner, is helping legitimize the new league.

“She’s the right person at the right time,” said Fernandez, the UCLA associate head coach, who is also the general manager of the defending champion Utah Talons. “Knowing Kim’s background in baseball, having her know the business of how to run a league, a no-brainer for me.”

Ng’s team-building acumen is helping her coach up first-time general managers. Her experience at MLB’s league office, working to grow the game internationally, ensures she’ll be patient, methodical — which is to say, the AUSL is not rushing to join the Sparks and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC in the complicated, competitive L.A. market until it’s good and ready.

“Softball just has had its ups and downs in terms of creating a solid foundation,” Ng said. “Why has it taken so long? It’s hard to say, but obviously the revenue is a huge piece of it. Now, with MLB as a major investor, they’re understanding of the idea that we’re complementary.”

MLB has invested a reported $10 million in the AUSL — in addition to offering its massive promotional platform. So after Grant hit an NCAA record-extending 39th home run, the No. 4 overall pick was interviewed by Harold Reynolds on “MLB Tonight.”

Beside Grant, who is bound for the Portland Cascade, there will be 12 other former Bruins sprinkled among the league’s six rosters. Woolery and Tinsley will team up with a few other former Bruins on the Talons.

“You’d lose a generation of players if the growth is capped,” said Laabs, the softball fan. “But right now, softball is on a rocket ship. Let’s keep on cooking, let’s keep on flying, let’s show that if you build it, they will come.”

North Korea has released photos of Kim Jong Un inspecting huge munitions at a weapons factory ahead of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit. Pyongyang has ordered missile production capacity to be doubled in the next five years.

KHLOE Kardashian has joined her sister Kim in Monaco as she supports her boyfriend Lewis Hamilton at the Grand Prix.

The A-list sisters looked effortlessly glam as they were spotted walking through the crowds in the South of France.

Both Khloe, 40, and Kim, 45, went for plunging black tops.

The younger sister paired her outfit with comfy black capri pants, which showed off her very slender legs.

While big sis Kim revealed her tiny waist and toned pins in blue jeans.

Both siblings wore dark shades and were flanked by their entourage.

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The pair were seen chatting happily as they headed towards a waiting boat.

Tomorrow, they will watch Kim’s boyfriend Lewis race in Monaco‘s Grand Prix.

The Sun revealed the couple were dating in February after they were spotted enjoying a romantic getaway in the UK.

The mum-of-four then went public with Lewis in April, when they were spotted kissing in Malibu, California.

They were seen splashing around together at the beach, looking every inch the smitten pair.

Kim and Lewis then went Instagram official as they filmed themselves taking a bike ride.

Kim, who was married to Kanye West, 48, from 2014 to 2022, said last October she could not imagine herself dating another famous man.

She told a podcast that the person “would have to be someone super- special” for her to start another relationship.

Kim explained: “I don’t know if I have the energy or whether I’ve met the right person that I would want to blend my family with.”

On whether she might date another musician or athlete, she added: “Neither. We’re going, like, lawyers and longevity scientists who would give me all their secrets.”

After splitting from Kanye, she dated comedian Pete Davidson and then NFL player Odell Beckham Jr until things fizzled out in April 2024.

While Lewis has not had a serious relationship since he split from Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger in 2015 after almost eight years.

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Trump said Friday that he wants Bill Pulte, his new acting director of national intelligence, to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during his second term.

Trump noted that the size of the office has been “way too high for way too long” and that “if he cut, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Bill Pulte is very good, he’s very talented,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Wisconsin. The Republican president said in an earlier interview with the Wall Street Journal that he has asked Pulte to start the process of firing employees.

In the interview with the Journal, the president says he has already conveyed his view to Pulte, the incoming acting director of national intelligence, who has served as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency but apparently has no national security expertise.

“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, which the Journal said was in reference to intelligence community officials who had served in the Democratic administrations of Presidents Biden and Obama.

Trump told the Journal that he wants Pulte to “start the process” of firing personnel and that the eventual permanent director of national intelligence should continue it. The president has indicated that he would not formally nominate Pulte for the position.

“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump said. “Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.”

Pulte was tapped by the president earlier this week in a surprising move that has been met with bipartisan resistance in the Senate, which confirms presidential nominations. The temporary appointment has now snarled the renewal of a critical national security surveillance program on Capitol Hill, with Democrats key to the vote pointing out that they did not trust Pulte — whose office oversees 18 intelligence agencies — to help administer the surveillance program.

Under Pulte’s successor, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence’s office had already taken steps to scale back its size. In August, the Trump administration said that the office’s budget would be cut by more than $700 million per year, while slashing the size of its workforce.

At the time, Gabbard said the office had become “bloated and inefficient” while she announced the roughly 40% workforce reduction.

Gabbard resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

Price and Kim write for the Associated Press. Kim reported from Washington.

KIM Kardashian is flogging her rare designer clobber on her fashion website — but you’ll need a 19-inch waist to wear it.

The reality star, 45, is selling items from her Disney+ series All’s Fair, including a 1995 John Galliano top and jacket for £43,000, and a £1,265 Thierry Mugler suit.

Kim has cinched her 24-26in waist to 19ins for red carpet events such as Met Galas.

And with her reported 43-inch bum many clothes are specially tailored for her shape.

Most items from her All’s Fair wardrobe are marked with a warning to buyers, with one assistant writing next to the Mugler suit: “Pants were altered to fit Kim’s body.”

A dress by the late French designer was also adjusted for the superstar.

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The John Galliano skirt was tweaked to fit her shapely derrière, along with a £1,300 three-piece suit from Patou.

A Christian Dior silk coat was also tailored to fit Kim’s waist — going from a UK size 18 to size six.

Kim’s family have been using the “Kardashian Kloset” website to flog used clothes since 2019.

It’s unknown if money from sales go into the family’s pockets or to charity.

Kim keeps every outfit she’s worn in storage — including her Met Gala designs and even the bridesmaids dress she wore to sister Khloe’s wedding to Lamar Odom in 2009.

She said of her archive: “This is its own time capsule.

“I have every look, every dress, every event.

“I love it, it’s like going down memory lane.”