Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-27, Monaco Grand Prix 2012. Photo: Copyright Julien Reboulet
After a five-year break, the Monaco Grand Prix will be shown live on terrestrial television in the UK, on Channel 4, giving access to a wider audience.
Since 2012 the iconic race has been exclusively broadcast on Sky Sports after BBC lost the rights. Channel 4 and Sky will split live race coverage in 2017, and in total Channel 4 will show ten Grands Prix live, with an agreement in place to broadcast delayed highlights of the ten remaining races.
Stephen Lyle, Channel 4 Head of F1 said: “Following a thrilling first year covering Formula One, we’re delighted to reveal our schedule for the 2017 season. Once again our team will bring extensive coverage of every race with the Monaco Grand Prix, Great Britain and the finale in Abu Dhabi among our ten Live race weekends.”
Mr Lyle added: “It’s a particular delight to welcome Monaco back to terrestrial television Live, for the first time in five years.”
A complaint lodged by Nice police officer Sandra Bertin, Mayor Philippe Pradal and Christian Estrosi, President of the Nice-Côte-d’Azur Metropole, accusing officials at the Ministry of the Interior of abuse of authority, has been dismissed.
The case was brought after Ms Bertin said she was asked to modify a report of the atrocity of July 14 in which 86 people lost their lives on the Promenade des Anglais.
Jean-Michel Prêtre, the prosecutor of the Republic based in Nice, said he had taken into account the preliminary investigation of the Inspectorate General of the National Police and decided that there were not sufficient charges to prosecute.
The prosecutor added that on the day after the atrocity, “things happened in a particularly tense context, with tired people”. There had been no intention to hide anything, he said. Me Adrien Verrier, Sandra Bertin’s counsel, immediately announced that he would lodge a complaint with the Dean of Investigating Judges.
Thomas Piketty, whose book “Capital in the Twenty First Century” became a surprise best-seller, has again courted controversy. This time, writing in Le Monde, the young French economist maintains that despite conventional wisdom that claims the opposite, productivity in Germany and France are almost identical.
However, his measure is “per hour worked”, rather than overall output per person, since French workers enjoy a significantly shorter working week than their German counterparts. But, he says, the European social model has good days ahead of it, “whatever the Brexiters and Trumpists of all kinds think”.
Interestingly, using OCDE figures, Piketty demonstrates that while Germany and France are neck and neck in terms of productivity per hour worked, both Italy and the UK lag far behind.
In a comparison with the USA, France and Germany now have very similar productivity, although the figures have dropped from being considerably above the US figures, while both Italy and the UK show falling productivity per hour worked.
Until January 31, there are free collection points to discard Christmas trees in the Principality.
To avoid littering the streets or cluttering garbage bins, choose one of the several
designated “Dépose Sapins” locations across Monaco:
Saint Nicholas Square – Place Saint Devote
Promenade Honoré II – Place Saint Charles
Allée Saint Jean-Paul II – Bd Princesse Grace
Esplanade Albert 1er – Bd de Belgique
Vallon La Rousse – Place des Moulins
Bd du Larvotto
This service is free and reserved exclusively for disposing of Christmas trees. Call the toll free number 8000 20 40.
The Mairie also reminds Monaco residents that from January 2, as part of the second phase of the Town Hall’s renovation, the state registry and civil-nationality services will be temporarily transferred to the Salle du Conseil.
Access will be through the door to the right of the main entrance of the building.
Nicholas Frankl with Prince ALbert and Princess Charlene
Anywhere there’s a gathering of the 1% of the 1%, Nicholas Frankl is close by, “megayacht in tow”. And Frankl, Founder and CEO of My Yacht Group that creates unique turnkey luxury hospitality on board private super yachts, has a supreme (and shoeless) guest list, from astronauts to Olympians, and from A-Listers to royalty.
Case in point, five years ago, at My Yacht Group’s legendary Friday night bash during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the head of a Monaco private bank was on board, as were Lewis Hamilton, Nigel Mansell and, as every year, HSH Prince Albert.
The banker approached Frankl, who lives between Monaco and LA, and said, “Nicholas, I live in Monaco and I can’t get hold of these people. I estimate you have at least $100 billion worth of guests on board and you’ve only got 100 people.”
While Frankl admits he doesn’t ask his friends for their bank balances, his My Yacht Group parties bring together an extraordinary variety of like-minded synergistic company, like astronaut Felix Baumgartner, John Lennon’s son Julian, Pakistan’s prime minister Shaukat Aziz, Denise Rich, Steve Wynn, easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, and many others…
Frankl, who turns 45 in July, knows first-hand that the global elite prefer to mix with other successful people, as interesting people beget interesting people. But the real key to his success?
“I’m not selling anything. I’m not asking you to open a bank account or buy a car or a watch. I’m just hosting a really cool group of engaging people, many of who know each other or are just one degree of separation away, and who are used to being the celebrity in the room.”
My Yacht Group, which is run by London-born Frankl and his twin sister Annabelle, whom he credits as “the brains and beauty behind the operation”, is very consistently reaching these individuals in phenomenal places throughout the world. And all they ask is for people to come to their luxury yacht party, which in most cities other than Monaco, is the only yacht party.
After years in Monaco, MYG expanded to Art Basel in Miami, then the Cannes Film Festival, Pebble Beach Concours, the Austin Grand Prix, Monaco Yacht Show and now Asia with Art Basel Hong Kong.
Few people would know seeing photos of a smiling HSH Prince Albert aboard Frankl’s My Yacht Group Monaco party, the long and unique history of their friendship. Frankl, representing Hungary, and HSH competed against each other in the bobsleigh event at three Winter Olympics, in Lillehammer in 1994, Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002.
“We trained together in Calgary in Canada. Prince Albert and I were head to head arch-rivals, and became good friends. There’s a tenacity and drive from athletes that the general populace does not have. Prince Albert was a sportsman like everyone else and that’s what he liked.”
Acknowledging that bobsledders are a character and a breed of their own, especially the “B” Club, like the guys from the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad, Armenia and Monaco – “none of us are going to win the gold so it was a great comradery.”
Frankl emphasises that “It’s hard work no matter what level you compete at. I was one second off the pace, which was collectively twenty-five places divided by a second. But my training is the same, my exhaustion is the same, my emotions are the same, as is my drive and will to succeed.”
After bobsled, looking for a new thrill, Frankl went on to test motorcycles and now is a licensed pilot. It’s not, however, the same 56-second rush you get in a bobsled, which Frankl says “is like driving the notorious old East-German “Trabi” – no redeeming elements in this car other than a roof – and drive it down a cobbled street with only 4 inches on either side of the wing mirrors, with very high walls, at 200 mph with square wheels and tight corners.”
Frankl would have loved to have been a Formula One driver. He grew up in motor racing, going to his first race at eight-weeks-old. (Belgian driver and Monaco resident Jackie Ickx correctly predicted in 1971 in Monaco that Frankl’s mother, June, would have twins, which she only discovered to be true two weeks prior to their birth.)
His charismatic father, journalist and author Andrew Frankl, is currently Grand Prix Editor of FORZA. He started off as publisher of CAR magazine, making one of Britain’s largest automotive magazines, and has attended over 200 Grands Prix, commentating for radio and television while writing for numerous automotive publications.
“My father knew all the drivers and we hung out with them. For example, Niki Lauda stayed at our house when he was getting started. I wanted to be a F1 driver, but my father was never keen on that because so many of his friends in the Seventies – François Cevert and Ronnie Peterson – were killed.”
As evidenced by his ability to stylishly tuck into a bowl of spaghetti Bolognese while remaining an engaging storyteller, Frankl inherited his father’s charisma. With his adaptable social vocabulary like “dude” and “rad man”, Frankl worked with Sky TV and BBC radio and commentating on Formula One (and in 1995 pitched a “Top Gear” show to Sky that back then they wouldn’t do).
He was hired in 1996 by Edward Asprey to run a three-year $50 million Ferrari sponsorship of the Ferrari Formula. “We put together a global hospitality platform and to be honest, I don’t think Formula One has ever had another guest experience quite like that, but our problem was that, we assumed wrongly, other guests from other sponsors at the same event would be interested in Asprey products – jewels, diamonds, Ferrari silver models, it never happened. So we created our own private yacht party in 1997 and it was a success.”
The Asprey contract ended and Frankl become this unpaid concierge service for the Asprey clients, while still doing Sky TV. He decided to monetise his “Mr Monaco” status and in 2005 launched My Yacht Monaco and knew just who to invite. When the Prince (who Frankl says has always been “a fantastic and incredibly supportive friend for over 20 years”) and his guests arrived, Steve Soderbergh, the Oscar winning director, who was on board, texted his friends: “This is where it’s happening.”
Contact My Yacht Group about their “Monaco Grand Prix Experience” yacht hospitality and charity events from May 26-29.
Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF, HSH Prince Albert II, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder Stelios Philanthropic Foundation
Prince Albert attended the 4th annual Stelios Philanthropic Foundation cocktail party and charity auction in benefit of the Pelagos Sanctuary.
Thursday night Sir Stelios’ immense port-view terrace on avenue de la Quarantaine was more squeezed than the Monaco-Nice train during a strike as 500 guests RSVPed, many who are repeat attendees. HSH Prince Albert II, HE Bernard Fautrier, CEO & Vice-President of the Prince Albert II Foundation and Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF were also present.
The highly spirited fundraiser, one of the season’s not-to-be missed events judging by the dense and decked out crowd, was in support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the WWF to safeguard the Pelagos Sanctuary, ensuring efficient management of the Mediterranean’s “first transboundary area” and conserving its marine biodiversity.
Sir Stelios told Monaco Life early on in the evening: “WWF is a charity that I’ve worked with for more than twenty years. I started from the shipping business and then with creating the airline, I thought we should do something to give something back to the environment.” And when asked how does he choose who to invite? “It’s a good guest list but people are coming to make a difference.”
In his opening remarks, the easyJet founder sent out a challenge. “This is the ultimate selfie heaven,” he said to a cheering audience. “The person that posts the most selfies tonight on our Facebook group will win a bottle of champagne from me.”
Prince Albert thanked Sir Stelios for hosting the event and Marco Lambertini for his extremely valuable partnership. “This evening is quite special for me, as my foundation is celebrating a ten year milestone,” the sovereign commented. “One of our main regions of focus is the Mediterranean and Pelagos is a sanctuary very dear to my heart because my father helped the establishment at Pelagos many years ago.
Adding that the sanctuary needs a new impetus, he added, “The original agreement between France, Italy and Monaco and its management is currently under reassessment and we hope to more proactive in that.”
The charity event included a silent auction, curated by Space SBH around a ‘Small is Beautiful’ theme, of 32 works of art and jewellery. All donations made by guests, from the €50 drinks at the Honesty Bar to “Adopt a Dolphin” for €1000, were doubled by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. The event raised €192,000, €2,000 more than last year.
The Pelgagos Sanctuary covers over 87,500sqm of the sea – 4% of the entire basin, making it the Med’s most extensive area protecting marine mammals – between southeastern France, Monaco, north-western Italy and northern Sardinia, and encompassing Corsica and the Tuscan Archipelago, and is home to the fin whale, the sperm whale and dolphins.
