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Grapevine: Paddock Life - Monte Carlo edition

It is always the most glamorous race on the Formula One calendar, as the world can only guess about just how much money is swilling around the Monaco harbour on Grand Prix weekend

Yet for those in the paddock who are not quite up there with the yacht-owning elite, there is always an amusing game of wandering around over the weekend wondering just who half the celebrities are that find themselves at the centre of media scrums.

The racing guys there were easy to spot - Alain Prost, Eddie Irvine, Jacques Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastien Loeb, Casey Stoner - and even ex-team boss Eddie Jordan looked very relaxed in his shorts and T-shirt.

Then there were the A-list stars - like film director Quentin Tarantino, musician Cliff Richard, Raul from Real Madrid, film producer George Lucas and Lewis Hamilton's mate P-Diddy.

Yet for every star you do recognise, there are at least three or four that no one you seem to know recognises - and yet they are followed around by hordes of cameramen.

The glitz can get a bit much at times at Monaco, which is why Red Bull earned some big brownie points for ejecting the glamour wannabees from their Energy Station on the Friday night for a superb chilled evening with the media.

Maybe it's just old age kicking in, but for once the absence of thumping tunes, the lack of need to wear the top fashion label and just some sophisticated (ish) conversation and a great display of photographs from Rainer Schlegelmilch proved a real highlight of the weekend.

Formula One drivers are used to being the centre of attention, so there was very little embarrassment when some of the grid's leading stars were called up to help out at a charity fashion event on Friday night.

The Amber Fashion function, which helped raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, saw Bernie Ecclestone's daughter Petra launch her luxury menswear collection FORM - modelled of course by the drivers.

The most interesting part of the night, though, was the charity auction - that saw a number of F1 figures dig into their pockets for a good cause - as well as some brilliant prizes.

Kimi Raikkonen splashed out 200,000 Euros on a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Well, not just any Stingray - this one came from movie star Sharon Stone's private collection and had just four miles on the clock.

Vijay Mallya forked out for a Chopard watch and an invitation to Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball for 100,000 Euros - before then donating another 226,000 Euros for one of Elton John's pianos.

Later in the night, he saw the Foundation raise 375,000 Euros thanks to someone's winning bid for a week on his Indian Empress yacht.

The schedule for the Monaco Grand Prix is always a break from tradition with the first practice day shifted to Thursday and then Friday being a rest day.

That day off in the middle of the event usually meant Thursday evening became a big party night - with many sleeping off the excesses for 24 hours before returning to action on Saturday.

This year, however, McLaren sponsor Johnnie Walker lived up to the word of their 'Responsible Drinking' campaign by holding a press conference early on Friday morning - ruling out too much of a late one the night before.

The morning after Vijay Mallya's paddock party on his yacht, only those who had been responsible (through lack of consumption rather than just saying 'please' for each beer) were duly up and about over the far side of Monaco to see Lewis Hamilton and Mika Hakkinen unveil a new 'Responsible Driving Simulator.'

The great bit of kit, which simulates the slow response times and poor perception of danger that affect those who have been drinking, will be touring the world with Hakkinen and Hamilton ambassadors for the anti drink-driving campaign.

The highlight of the morning though was Hakkinen's response to a question about what tip he would offer Hamilton about beating Finnish racing drivers - with Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen now major threats for the win.

"Well, if you would have asked a similar question 10 years ago when Michael Schumacher would have sat next to me, I would have said I wouldn't give you an answer for that," smiled Hakkinen. "But the situation is different.

"Obviously Finnish racing drivers they are like Lewis. We are all human beings, how to beat them you talk about I am sure Kimi or Heikki at the moment, it is a big challenge. So what is the tip for Lewis, how to do that? Er....I don't know!"

Sakon Yamamoto has become a bit of a cult hero in Formula One circles these days - not bad for an ex-Super Aguri driver who is on Renault's testing roster.

No, Yamamoto's emergence as one of the dudes in the paddock is because his alternative life as a club DJ has started taking off after another great set during Force India boss Vijay Mallya's Friday night party on his yacht the Indian Empress.

Yamamoto had impressed the F1 fraternity with a short set during Mallya's boat party in Istanbul that he was invited back for a longer showing during the Monaco bash - and the crowd there loved it.

The Japanese has been mad on his dance music since he was 17, but it was only at last year's Amber Lounge event in Shanghai that those in the paddock sat up and took notice.

"The Amber Lounge in Shanghai was the first time when I played DJ in front of F1 people, and at that time they said they liked my music," said Yamamoto.

"So I was asked if I wanted to play in Istanbul and I said yes, no problem at all. I played there, everyone said I was good, and so I was asked again. If the people are happy, then I am happy."

Yamamoto certainly passed his audition in Turkey well, having his set increase from just 20 minutes in Istanbul to nearly two hours in Monaco - delighting the host of F1 personalities who soaked up the atmosphere in the harbour.

But while some people joked that Yamamoto was a much better DJ than racing driver, the man himself said he wasn't yet thinking of hanging up his helmet for a set of decks.

"I like to play music, but on the other hand if I do it properly then it might stop being fun," he said. "Then it becomes more difficult with the pressure - we will see. I've definitely lived with music for my whole life, that is for sure, and if someone wants me for their next party, then I would love to play."

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