Teddy Riner, M. Pokora, Paul Mirabel... Louis Ducruet takes charge of the "drivers' match" before the F1 Grand Prix and announces a big casting

It's a transformation... to preserve tradition! The traditional F1 drivers' football match, which always takes place as a curtain-raiser to the Monaco Grand Prix, is evolving this year and becoming the Racing Stars Football Cup.

The match is scheduled for May 21 at 3 p.m. at the Stade Louis-II, which will host football and motorsport legends. A few celebrities will also be in attendance for this gala match orchestrated by the Barbagiuans of Monaco and their president, Louis Ducruet. "That's what the Barbagiuans are all about!" he said in a statement announcing his new commitment. "I think it's important to think outside the box and integrate other top-level athletes into the squad. This is an initiative that's part of our development," hopes Louis Ducruet, who already organizes a charity football match every January for Fight Aids Monaco.

This time with the Racing Stars Football Cup, he intends to "create a unique event to raise awareness among a different audience. Considering the cast and the legends who support us, I think it's a success. May 21 will be a great celebration for everyone, with personalities who perfectly reflect the values ​​we hold dear."

Teddy Riner expected on the pitch

The first surprise of this announcement: the arrival of triple Olympic gold medalist Teddy Riner, who will show what he's made of crampons. As for the drivers to make up the Nazionale Piloti, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar, Thierry Neuville and others will don their best shorts. The event will also bring together the faithful of the Barbagiuans de Monaco, the team founded by the sovereign and chaired since 2020 by Louis Ducruet. Including Ludovic Giuly, Flavio Roma, Javier Chevanton "and the central hinge Gaël Givet - Sébastien Squillaci."

Other guests include French MMA fighter Benoît Saint Denis; singer M.Pokora; comedians Paul Mirabel and Ragnar Le Breton; and model Baptiste Giabiconi, who will also grace the Louis-II pitch. Other names are yet to be announced. The match will be played to benefit the Jules Bianchi and Be Safe Monaco associations. Tickets (10 euros per ticket) are on sale at www.barbagiuansmonaco.mc

Pilot Mika Häkkinen as ambassador

This first Racing Stars Football Cup is being held in the Principality for the first time in over thirty years, combining conviviality, football, and solidarity under the leadership of Mauro Serra. Today, his children, Shauna and James, are in sync with these changes. "We grew up in this tradition, dear to our father and the Sovereign, and we are also sensitive to the fact that this match continues to be supported by those who share this same attachment. We have total confidence in Louis Ducruet's Barbagiuans to develop this historic event with passion, while remaining faithful to its values ​​of sportsmanship and solidarity."

For this first time, former 1990s F1 star Mika Häkkinen will be the match's ambassador. He said he was "very excited and honored when Louis Ducruet and his team asked me to take on this role, which is very close to my heart, especially since the event will support two major causes this year."