Iron Man 2, Ocean’s Twelve and Bad Bunny – 9 times film, TV and music features racing at Monaco

Few races have captured the imagination of the wider world quite like the Monaco Grand Prix. Since 1950, the streets of the Principality have played host to some of the greatest moments in F1 history – but its appeal has always stretched far beyond the street circuit.

From Hollywood heists to Bond car chases, intimate docufilms, animated fun and even chart-topping hits, Monaco has inspired filmmakers, musicians and storytellers for decades. As F1 returns to Monte Carlo again this weekend, we’ve looked back at nine memorable times the Monaco Grand Prix made its mark on film, television and music...

Iron Man 2

Tony Stark’s appearance at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix in Iron Man 2 is one of the most memorable fictional race weekend cameos in cinema history. Held in the weeks prior to the F1 event on the very same circuit, the Historic Grand Prix provided a perfect movie backdrop – classic cars, the real barriers, the real harbour, all providing the scene with an authenticity that racing fans could appreciate.

In the film, Stark impulsively joins the race to drive for his own Stark Industries team – only for villain Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash, to attack the track, turning a glamorous afternoon of racing into a superhero showdown around the Principality.

Ocean’s Twelve

Released in 2004, Ocean’s Twelve brought its star-studded cast to Monaco for the movie’s highly anticipated sequel – and the Casino de Monte-Carlo, one of the most iconic landmarks on the F1 circuit, took centre stage. With the film’s plot built around elaborate heists across Europe’s most glamourous locations, Monaco was a perfect fit!

But, of course, F1 fans will remember Ocean Twelve’s presence in Monaco for other reasons entirely – namely, the ill-fated Jaguar diamond promotion that ran alongside the film’s release. A prop diamond worth $250,000 was fitted to the nose cone of the team’s cars, only for the diamond on Christian Klien's machine to vanish without a trace after his first lap crash. Fiction and reality really blurred that day!

Monaco, Bad Bunny

His 2023 hit MONACO cemented Bad Bunny’s status as one of F1’s most high-profile fans. His love for the sport is already well documented – attending the Miami Grand Prix and spending quality time with Sergio Perez in the paddock, before teaming up with Mercedes in 2025 to bring the sport to the streets of Puerto Rico for the very first time through a street demonstration, a gesture that spoke to his dedication to growing F1 in his home country.

So, it’s no surprise that F1 made its way into his music too. His track MONACO leaned into everything the Principality represents – particularly the glamour and aspiration – producing a track that became an instant global hit. He even name-checks Max Verstappen and Perez in the track, with sounds of the Grand Prix woven into the background.

One lyric in particular will resonate with anyone who has ever been to a race: “Believe me, F1 cars are faster in person.” Believe him – they really are!

GoldenEye, James Bond

There are few locations that suit a James Bond epic quite like Monaco does – and in GoldenEye, released in 1995, the Principality provided the backdrop for one of the franchise’s most memorable opening sequences of all time. The iconic chase scene winds through the roads just above and around Monaco, with Bond behind the wheel of a Ferrari before later switching to an Aston Martin, all set against the scenery that makes Monaco so beloved by film producers!

For F1 fans, the connection of course runs a little deeper as the scene was filmed on the very roads that form part of the Circuit de Monaco – even if Bond had slightly more pressing concerns than setting purple sectors.

Upcoming Ocean’s prequel

Monaco and the Ocean’s franchise have something of a history – and it seems the allure of the Principality is showing no signs of fading. With another Ocean’s instalment on the horizon, Monaco is once again set to take centre stage on the big screen. Slated for a summer 2027 release, the prequel – starring Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper – follows Danny Ocean’s parents as master thieves attempting a heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix. Much of the detail is understandably still under wraps, but the setting alone promises plenty of period drama!

The 1962 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix was a memorable one – Jim Clark took his first-ever pole position before retiring with a clutch issue, Bruce McLaren won the 100-lap event, and Ferrari’s Phil Hill and Lorenzo Bandini completed the podium. It was also a weekend that carried tragedy, with a marshal losing his life after being struck by a wheel dislodged in an accident.

It’s a richly layered backdrop for what promises to be a fascinating film – and for F1 fans, the prospect of seeing the streets of 1962 Monte Carlo recreated on screen is a very exciting one!

Grand Prix

Before F1 The Movie, there was Grand Prix. Released in 1966, the Formula 1 drama is now a cult classic, following four fictional drivers through a dramatized version of the 1966 season. It features many famous drivers, including Clark and Juan Manuel Fangio, and much like its modern counterpart, was filmed during real Grand Prix weekends.

The movie was well received at the time, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1966, and even won three Academy Awards. If you’re feeling nostalgic this month, this critically acclaimed classic should do the trick.

Weekend of a Champion

Released in 1972, Weekend of a Champion is unlike almost any other motorsport film ever made. Following three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart during the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix weekend – the year he claimed his second world title – the documentary is a super intimate, fly-on-the-wall portrayal of what it means to win at the very highest level of motorsport in one of its most iconic settings.

Director Roman Polanski, a close friend of Stewart’s, had unparalleled access throughout the weekend – following the Scot through practice, qualifying and race day, as well as the emotion and the quiet moments in between. True to form, Stewart delivered the perfect weekend to document too, taking pole, the win and the fastest lap in an emphatic display around one of the hardest circuits the sport has ever known.

The result is a rare and fascinating window into a world that few ever got to see up close – and even in the age of social media and Drive to Survive, it is remarkable how few filmmakers have managed to get this access, making the docufilm just as ahead of its time today as it was in 1972.

MON23 and MC24, Charles Leclerc

As a born-and-bred Monegasque, it’s no surprise that Monaco has inspired not one but two entries in Charles Leclerc’s growing musical catalogue. The Ferrari man has described his piano compositions – all instrumental – as a hobby rather than a career and a way to clear his mind in between rounds, naming each piece after the race location and date around which it was composed.

MON23 was penned around a painful 2023 home race, where Leclerc could only manage sixth. But the catharsis eventually came for the home hero: MC24 arrived following his maiden Monaco victory in 2024 – a moment that absolutely deserved its own soundtrack! Amassing over 60 million streams on his music on Spotify, this is a hobby racing fans have been more than happy to share in.

Phineas and Ferb – Live and let drive

It’s not just glamorous blockbuster movies – Monaco’s grip on the imagination extends all the way to Saturday morning cartoons. Not every Monaco feature comes draped in charm and drama – sometimes it comes via a platypus in a spy car! The long-running Disney animated show Phineas and Ferb features its very own motorsport antics, courtesy of the Live and Let Drive episode in season four.

Agent P, also known as Perry the Platypus, is whisked away to the fictional location of “Montevillebad” – a barely concealed pun on Monte Carlo, complete with a harbourside setting, a casino, and a circuit that directly references the iconic Fairmont Hairpin. Even the episode’s title is a nod to James Bond, to match the espionage-meets-racing plot that unfolds.

The episode’s attention to detail even extends to the villain Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s race car – a six-wheeled vehicle that is clearly inspired by one of the sport’s most outlandish race cars, the Tyrell P34. Fittingly, Monaco was where the P34 came into its own, with both Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler securing podium finishes.