A duplex in downtown Manhattan. Floor-to-ceiling glass. The Hudson on one side, the whole of the city on the other, with the Statue of Liberty framed in the window. When the roughly $41 million price tag was first reported, even seasoned property watchers checked the figure twice. The buyer was Lewis Hamilton. He is, by most accounts, rarely there.
That contradiction sits at the heart of a wider story. Across the 2026 Formula One grid, real estate has become as competitive a category as lap times — and the addresses tell you almost as much about a driver’s priorities as the number of championships on their shelf.
Lewis Hamilton’s Map, Not a Home
Hamilton’s base of record is a four-bedroom Monaco duplex with Mediterranean views, where he has lived for more than a decade. But that is only the starting point. His holdings extend to New York, London, Geneva, a ranch in Colorado, and — since his move to Ferrari — a newly acquired apartment in Milan’s Porta Nuova district, close to his new employer. He has also invested further in Monaco property beyond his own residence.
It is less a home than an itinerary. Hamilton himself has pointed to the Colorado ranch, not Monaco, as the place that feels most like home — the one address on the list built on memory rather than convenience.
Verstappen, Leclerc and the Monaco Default
Max Verstappen relocated to Monaco the day he turned 18 — the first legally possible moment, suggesting the paperwork had been ready for some time. He moved into a Fontvieille penthouse reportedly worth around $16 million, and is said to genuinely live there, training and sailing rather than treating the address as a name on a postbox. Reports also point to a land purchase at a private development in Portugal. With a Brazilian connection on his partner Kelly’s side of the family, the portfolio may well grow further yet.
Charles Leclerc never had to move at all. Monaco’s only Monegasque passport holder on the grid was born and raised in the principality and watched his own father race through streets he now competes on himself. He is reportedly purchasing a second property at the Addition Residences in Miami’s Edgewater district, a Sky Residence expected to be completed in 2027 — a foothold in the city that has increasingly fallen for Formula One.
Lando Norris left Surrey for Monaco in 2022, citing proximity to friends and rivals as much as the tax advantages. Oscar Piastri followed in 2024, while George Russell, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto complete a Monaco contingent that now accounts for roughly three-quarters of the entire grid.
Bortoleto’s move stands out for its scale: his whole family has relocated with him, partly to stay close to his manager and mentor, Fernando Alonso, who also calls Monaco home and is said to keep an extensive car collection there, including a Pagani Zonda Roadster reportedly worth around $10 million.
The French Exception
Not every driver can access Monaco’s tax advantages. Under the 1963 treaty between France and Monaco, French citizens remain taxable in France on worldwide income regardless of residency — meaning Monaco’s zero-tax status is effectively irrelevant to them.
As a result, none of the grid’s three French passport holders live in the principality. Pierre Gasly has been based in Milan since 2017, citing the city’s culture and food scene. Esteban Ocon lives in Geneva, drawn by Switzerland’s favourable — if less generous — tax treatment for foreign residents. Isack Hadjar, the Red Bull rookie from Paris, appears to remain based largely in France or Italy for now, with a permanent relocation likely still to come.
The Alpine Alternative: San Marino
Perhaps the most financially astute residency on the grid belongs to Kimi Antonelli. The teenager has settled in San Marino, the tiny republic inside Italy that operates a territorial tax system — meaning income earned outside the republic, including his Mercedes salary, falls outside its tax scope entirely. The financial outcome closely mirrors Monaco’s, without the tourist crowds or the doorstep attention.
Beyond Europe: Pérez and the Swiss Model
Sergio Pérez has never relocated to Monaco or Europe, remaining based in Guadalajara with his wife and four children, alongside a European base in Spain. Meanwhile, the Stroll family has long favoured Switzerland over Monaco — a model shared by Michael Schumacher during his career — prioritising space, countryside and privacy over tax perks. For years, Lance Stroll split his time between Canada, Switzerland and London, close enough to reach the Silverstone factory by helicopter when needed.
That makes his 2026 move to Monaco all the more notable. Unlike most of his grid colleagues, the shift is reportedly driven less by tax logic than by romance, following his relationship with Israeli model and actress Yael Shelbia, who joined him trackside in Miami this season. For a family already split across three countries, a partner drawn to the Mediterranean appears to have tipped the balance toward the coast.
Why It All Points Back to Monaco
Sixteen drivers, two square kilometres, and a financial logic that is difficult to ignore for anyone who can access it. Monaco’s pull on Formula One remains as strong as ever in 2026 — though as the paddock’s youngest stars weigh privacy against proximity, alternatives like San Marino, Geneva and Milan suggest the grid’s property map may not stay quite so concentrated forever.
▶ For the full rundown of every driver’s address, price tag, and backstory, watch the complete video breakdown below:
Formula 1, F1 2026, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Monaco, F1 drivers homes, F1 real estate
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