Monaco 2026 'Towelgate': The Antonelli Podium Towel, Explained
After winning the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli's podium towel went missing when guest Kim Kardashian picked it up and used it. Antonelli turned it into a joke online, Mercedes amplified it, and the lighthearted saga became the talking point of the weekend. Kardashian later sent Antonelli a new towel stitched 'To Kimi from Kim', closing the story.
What actually happened
A white towel was set on the winner's stand at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix for race winner Kimi Antonelli. Kim Kardashian, a guest in the podium area, picked it up and used it, and it never made it back to the driver[1].
Rather than let it pass, Antonelli leaned into the moment. He posted a short clip asking where his towel had gone, and Mercedes amplified the joke across its channels, turning a small podium mix-up into the lighthearted story of the weekend[1].
How it resolved
The saga closed a few days later. Kardashian sent Antonelli a fresh white towel with "To Kimi from Kim" stitched into it, and both sides treated the exchange as a friendly end to a viral week[2].
It is a small thing, but it captured something real about the 2026 Mercedes garage: a teenage race winner secure enough to make fun of his own podium, and a team happy to play along[2].
[1]: Kim Kardashian gifts Kimi Antonelli new towel after using Mercedes driver's in Monaco, ESPN. [2]: Kimi Antonelli towel: Kim Kardashian resolves Monaco 'Towelgate' with gift, PlanetF1.
- [1]Kim Kardashian gifts Kimi Antonelli new towel after using Mercedes driver's in Monaco (espn). Accessed 2026-06-13.
- [2]Kimi Antonelli towel: Kim Kardashian resolves Monaco 'Towelgate' with gift (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-13.