Formula 1 News: Real champagne to return to F1 podium w/LVMH

(GMM) Real champagne from LVMH will soon return to the Formula 1 podium after Liberty Media penned a $1 BILLION deal that will see a major change to podium proceedings.

Spraying genuine French champagne on the podium is a long-held tradition in the sport, but for the past several years, drivers have actually been spraying Italian sparkling wine courtesy of sponsor Ferrari Trentino.

But that’s about to change. Liberty Media, F1’s commercial owner, has just inked a ten-year sponsorship deal with LVMH which The Sun newspaper estimates is worth $1 billion over the next decade.

LVMH, a French multinational, stands for Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy – the parent company of several brands including iconic F1 champagne Moet + Chandon.

TAG Heuer, also in the LVMH stable, is another well-known brand to Formula 1.

“The opportunity to scale our commercial arrangements is emblematic of the vision we have for Formula 1 as the business continues to grow its platform,” said Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei.

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The announcement effectively marks the end of an era for current Formula 1 partner and LVMH rival Rolex. The Swiss watchmaker has served as the global partner and official timepiece of the Formula 1 World Championship since 2013, however, rumors that LVMH were circling have been rife for months.

The one brand to rule them all was, you guessed it, Rolex, who has been the Official Timekeeper and Global Partner of Formula 1 since 2013, having taken the spotlight from TAG Heuer at the time.

Since then, Rolex has been a title sponsor of numerous races every season and has had its name plastered over every single racetrack the flying circus visited — except for Monaco where TAG Heuer has managed to pose as the official watch of the grand prix.

History lesson over, what we are to look forward to is LVMH unleashing all its might over Formula 1 to push its luxury products to what is a revitalized, more involved, younger, and more global audience of the sport. Liberty Media took over Formula 1 in 2017 and since then has transformed the image of the “pinnacle of motorsport” through a more pronounced presence on YouTube, social media, as well as Netflix’s Drive to Survive.

On Wednesday, Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1, confirmed the speculation.

“Our sport is founded on the relentless pursuit of excellence, a value that also lies at the heart of LVMH, so I am delighted to announce this historic partnership will begin in 2025,” Domenicali said in a statement.

“As Formula 1 continues its global growth, attracting new and more diverse audiences, the strength and breadth of LVMH makes it the perfect partner for us to work with as we look to continually enhance the experience of our fans and the heritage of our incredible sport.”