Moët & Chandon returns to Formula 1 podiums

The podiums of Formula 1 will once again glisten with Moët & Chandon, replacing Ferrari Trento as the sport's official sparkling wine sponsor. The post Moët & Chandon returns to Formula 1 podiums appeared first on The Drinks Business.

Feb 9, 2025 - 21:53

Moët & Chandon returns to Formula 1 podiums

The podiums of Formula 1 will once again glisten with Moët & Chandon, replacing Ferrari Trento as the sport's official sparkling wine sponsor.

With Formula 1 and LVMH forging a decade-long partnership, Moët & Chandon has been announced as the Official Champagne of the championship. Since 1950, Moët & Chandon has been a fixture in Formula 1 celebrations. The greatest drivers in history, including Aryton Senna (pictured) and Michael Schumacher, have marked their victories with a bottle of Moët in hand. But this is not merely a return to business as usual. Moët & Chandon is also set to become the title partner of the Belgian Grand Prix, one of the most anticipated races on the Formula 1 calendar. Spa-Francorchamps, a circuit revered for its mercurial weather and unforgiving corners, is the closest Grand Prix to the Champagne region.

Spa-Francorchamps

Nestled in the Ardennes, the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit was part of the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship calendar in 1950, with Juan Manuel Fangio taking the chequered flag. Just two weeks later, the Argentine legend triumphed again at the French Grand Prix, held in Champagne’s own Reims-Gueux circuit. Two enthusiastic local racing aficionados, Paul Chandon-Moët and his cousin, Count Frédéric Chandon de Briailles, were in attendance. After the race, Fangio was invited to the Château de Saran for a private toast. The connection between Moët & Chandon and motorsport extends way beyond Formula 1. In 1936, legendary driver Tazio Nuvolari celebrated his victory in The Vanderbilt Cup by sipping Champagne from a Jeroboam of Moët & Chandon. However, the now-iconic tradition of celebratory spraying was born in 1967, when Dan Gurney, overcome with joy after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, shook a Jeroboam and showered the crowd in jubilant fashion. A tradition was thus established, one that would come to define podium celebrations across Formula 1 and beyond.

Alcohol sponsorship in sport

Of course, no conversation about alcohol sponsorship in Formula 1, and sport in general, would be complete without acknowledging the shifting landscape of advertising ethics and responsibility. But Formula 1 without a Champagne-soaked podium is akin to Monaco without the glamour or Monza without the Tifosi — simply unthinkable. As Moët & Chandon resumes its place at the centre of these moments, it will be refreshing to see the victories of today toasted with the same joy and fervour as those of yesteryear. Dry podiums? Perish the thought!