This week’s Formula 1 villain-of-the-week wasn’t a driver crashing into someone, cussing out their team over the radio, or starting beef in the paddock. It was Kim Kardashian. And somehow, it all started with a towel.
On the contrary, F1 is not just about rich people watching cars go fast in circles. Every race weekend, 22 of the best drivers in the world strap into million-dollar cars that go over 200 miles per hour and race around insanely difficult tracks where one tiny mistake can send them into an extremely dangerous crash. The margins are microscopic, the pressure is ridiculous, and the fans take every single thing very, very seriously.
The paddock is the extremely exclusive area where drivers, teams, media, celebrities, and VIPs hang out during race weekends — but it has recently become celebrity central. And for longtime F1 fans, that has been…a lot. Some people love seeing the sport grow, but most feel it’s being flooded with celebrities and fake fans who don’t really understand or care about racing, yet still get special access that actual fans could only dream of.
Which brings us to Kim. She has recently been showing up at races to support her man, Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion and arguably the most recognizable icon of the sport.
So, inevitably, pairing one of F1’s biggest legends with one of the most famous — and polarizing — women on the planet was always going to cause a reaction. Fans were already side-eyeing Kim’s presence before anything even happened, but then came the towel…
Footage from the Monaco Grand Prix shows Kim picking up, using, and walking away with a towel that was intended for Kimi Antonelli to use after the race.
This was the cherry on top that caused fans to be disappointed that Lewis Hamilton would date someone so “entitled” and “classless.”
But the reason this spiraled from a random celebrity moment into full-blown Towelgate is because Kimi himself seemed extremely committed to the bit. Kimi is the second-youngest driver on the grid, and made SEVERAL videos joking about his missing towel, causing fans to also not let it go…until Kim finally did something about it.
Kim’s Instagram comments were flooded… 😭
But all is well now, since a viral clip of Kimi receiving a replacement towel embroidered with the message “To Kimi, from Kim” showed him putting it on, smiling, and thanking her. And just like that, after days of internet wrath and Kimi mourning his towel, Towelgate somehow ended with a peace-offering apology-gift arc that released Kim from public execution.
It seems like fans accepted her apology in the comments:
And thankfully, Kimi can finally use a towel. 😌
I personally have to respect how committed everyone was to this saga and will miss the towel jokes dearly — but now I need to know: Do you think Kim’s gift is enough to end the hate, or do you think fans are right to still be annoyed by her presence in the paddock, regardless? Tell us in the comments!
