The F1 deal with Moët & Chandon; Strategy, Stats And Storytelling

Forbes

3 days ago

The new Moët & Chandon F1 Champions Corridor unveiled at the Belgium Grand Prix
The Moët & Chandon deal with FI, commenced 2025, is a 10-year affair forming part of a wider ecosystem partnership between parent group LVMH and Formula 1 that also takes in trunk partner Louis Vuitton and official timekeeper TAG Heuer.
Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the F1 championship which falls in the same year, each brand has enjoyed its own headline moment. Louis Vuitton opened the season in Melbourne, the Monaco Grand Prix in May was the TAG Heuer moment and Moët & Chandon took pole position as title partner of the Belgium Grand Prix in July on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Moët and F1 have an unquestionable legacy. After all, it was a jeroboam of Moët & Chandon Champagne that Dan Gurney sprayed into the crowd to celebrate his 24 Hours of Le Mans win in 1967 that gave rise to the podium tradition synonymous with the sport for which Moët was an official Champagne partner from 1981 to 1997.
The history with Spa goes back even further. It resonates profoundly with Moët as it is the closest Grand Prix to the house's Épernay heartland to which it has been linked from the F1 Championship's outset in 1950. Winning driver Juan Manuel Fangio was later invited by Paul Chandon-Moët and his cousin Count Frédéric Chandon de Briailles to celebrate his victory at emblematic estate property, Château de Saran.
Belgium Grand Prix winner McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc celebrate by ... More spraying bottles of Moët & Chandon.
What does the F1 Moët & Chandon deal actually mean?
In concrete terms, the F1 deal constitutes three red and white branded moments played out for F1's 826.5 million global fanbase at the end of each Grand Prix) excepting those where alcohol advertising is prohibited in respect of local cultures).
On site in the Cool Down Room (moment two) at Spa, Moët & Chandon CEO Sibylle Scherer described how they work. First up is the Parc Fermé (a French term meaning 'closed park' appropriated for use in F1) when the winning drivers jump out at the end of the race to celebrate with their respective teams. Next is aforementioned Cool Down Room where the drivers get to sit down and take a breath, albeit while being live streamed, before making their way to the Podium (moment three) where they follow in Gurney's footsteps, let rip with the Jeroboams and celebrate in front of a global audience.
At Spa, Moët's title partnership was further feted by the introduction of a new Champions' Corridor leading from Cool Down Room to Podium. Evoking the famous 'tunnel' walked by of soccer and basketball players on match days, the Moët & Chandon version features a role call of previous champions printed on the floor; to which, of course, Belgium Grand Prix winner, McLaren's Oscar Piastri has been duly added.
According to Scherer, said moments represent the living embodiment of Moët slogans: 'let us celebrate you,' and 'life is better when shared.' Now of course, there's another F1 specific version: 'victory is better when shared.'
The Moët & Chandon branded Cool Down Room at the Belgium Grand Prix.
Moët & Chandon F1 deal: Strategy and cultural participation
Addressing a tough period for the industry—LVMH's half year results reported a 7% revenue drop across its Wine and Spirits category while the Comité Champagne reported a 9.2% year on year drop in sales for 2024— the executive was bullish in defending the F1 investment (doubtless considerable though she declined to put a number on it).
"We've been part of the tapestry of motorsport since the beginning. It's part of our DNA, it's part of our history. We have 283 years of history, in 280 years, we will be still there. So we have to invest in the future, and we have to tell our story."
The deal, two years in the making, continues momentum created by LVMH's $163 million sponsorship of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games but also capitalises on surging global interest in motor racing fuelled by Netflix's seven-series 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' franchise and, of course, the 2025 F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt with the involvement of Dawn Apollo, the production company of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
'I think the moment is perfect,' Scherer said, speaking to the sport's increasingly widening audience demographic—both geographically (in the region of 200 territories worldwide to Moët's 155 odd) but also in terms of profile. 'I remember 30 years ago when it was much less diverse. Now you see all age groups and more and more women.' With the F1 Academy women's championship which has spawned its own Netflix documentary series, this extends both on and off the grid.
From a brand point of view, participation in such cultural phenomena cannot be overestimated she said. 'To connect the past with the future you have to be there where culture is made, you need to be culturally relevant. You need to speak the language of today and tomorrow. And again, that's what we've always done at Moët.'
Cars on the Belgium Grand Prix grid.
F1 Moët & Chandon deal: Synergy and shared values
She continued, however, that it's not just about visibility. 'For us, it's really a very authentic relationship that we have with this sport' she said, citing the house's historic links with F1 but also shared values such as precision, craftsmanship and team spirit. "This is what Champagne is all about. It takes a village to craft a bottle of Champagne. It's not just the winemaker and the star, it's the people in the vineyards and production in marketing.
Experience too is a major fil rouge across both businesses. "We're not about possessing a bottle," she says. "We're about enjoying it, creating memories. When you open a bottle of Moët for your birthday, or your child's graduation or your wedding, or your divorce, or whatever it is you're celebrating. you create memories, and this is who we are.
Luxury, she added, is 'no longer just around physically owning something. It's the experience."
Case in point, Moët collaborated with Louis Vuitton artistic director Pharrell Williams earlier this year on limited edition pearl decorated bottles celebrating birthdays with a global advertising campaign to match. Scherer revealed that we can expect a second 'super crazy beautiful' installment for spring 2026.