Hamilton shares 'eye-opening' first experience of Monaco

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleChevron DropdownPrevious 2026 SeasonDriver Standings Team StandingsArchive 1950-2025F1 AwardsNewsChevron DropdownWhat is F1? What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosHamilton shares 'eye-opening' first experience of MonacoLeclerc confirms offers from rivals before Ferrari dealSainz asserts his commitment to Williams for future seasonsWhat upgrades have each F1 team brought to the Monaco GP?Play0:192026 Monaco GP FP1: Tension between the Haas drivers in first practice 0:102026 Monaco GP FP1: Hadjar crashes out of first practice Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-shares-eye-opening-first-experience-of-monaco-with-rosberg.6HBEbqDbVM1CTg4GVI3MrF.6HBEbqDbVM1CTg4GVI3MrF"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-shares-eye-opening-first-experience-of-monaco-with-rosberg.6HBEbqDbVM1CTg4GVI3MrF","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-shares-eye-opening-first-experience-of-monaco-with-rosberg.6HBEbqDbVM1CTg4GVI3MrF","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-shares-eye-opening-first-experience-of-monaco-with-rosberg.6HBEbqDbVM1CTg4GVI3MrF","datePublished":"2026-06-05T14:20:34.051Z","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:20:34.051Z","headline":"Lewis Hamilton shares 'eye-opening' first experience of Monaco with Nico Rosberg","author":"F1","description":"Monaco has always been a special place for Lewis Hamilton, and not just because he has won the Grand Prix on the streets of the Principality three times.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9South/f_auto/q_auto/v1780659928/fom-website/2026/Monaco/GettyImages-2179781593.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Lewis HamiltonNico RosbergMonacoShow more tagsHamilton shares 'eye-opening' first experience of Monaco with RosbergA trip to Monaco during his karting days showed Lewis Hamilton just what might be possible with a career in F1. Monaco has always been a special place for Lewis Hamilton, and not just because he has won the Grand Prix on the streets of the Principality three times. Monaco has also been his home for many years, and on Thursday, he revealed how his first visit during his teenage karting days not only ignited a dream to one day live there, but also showed him just what could be achieved in life. When Hamilton was racing karts in Italy during 1998, he came across his future Mercedes F1 team mate and rival Nico Rosberg for the first time. Hamilton’s upbringing was from humble origins in the UK town of Stevenage, where his father worked multiple jobs to pay for the racing. Rosberg, meanwhile, had grown up in Monaco as the son of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, and enjoyed the best things in life. Despite the contrasting backgrounds, when the two youngsters met, they hit it off. “Whenever I'm here, I always reminisce a lot about when I was younger,” said Hamilton. “And I would say one of the positive things, which I probably never really spoke about, was when I was 13. I'd just been signed by Mercedes and McLaren, and I'd just started racing in Europe – I moved to Italy to race in Italy. “Nico was the golden child at the time. I remember, I think one of my first races, I think he was on pole, I was second, and we had our first race in Parma. I was stuck right behind him, just pushing him to get away from the rest. And then the last lap I overtook him, so that's where our partnership or friendship kind of started.” And that led to Hamilton’s first Monaco visit: “He invited me to go to his home, so I remember getting on his dad's plane, his jet at the time, and I was like, ‘Crap, I didn't even know they had private jets.’ It was the most unbelievable, eye-opening experience. We landed, and his dad had a helicopter standing next to it, and I was thinking, ‘this is like James Bond stuff!’ “And then I came here to where his dad lived, where I live today, in the same building. I remember going through his parents' apartment and seeing the view, and I just remember at 13 being like, ‘I've never seen anything like this'. And that became my dream. One day I'm going to live in a place like this. And that's where I live today...” The young Hamilton hardly needed any extra motivation, but that day he had a glimpse of what he could achieve. “It just takes me back to, if you can't see it, sometimes it's really hard to believe it,” he said. “And I was fortunate to have experiences like that, that really showed me what is possible. “When you're growing up in a small town like where I came from, and you don't get to experience it, sometimes it's really hard to know that that's even achievable. And thanks to racing, and thanks to signing with McLaren, and meeting Nico, that was a really cool time.” F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited