19 hours Ago By Cara Waters
The winning driver in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix will stand on the podium and spray a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne, part of a $1.6 billion sponsorship deal. The champagne house is a division of the French luxury goods company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), which signed a sponsorship deal with Formula 1 racing from 2025 estimated to be worth $ US 1 billion ($1.
6 billion) over 10 years . Grand Prix ambassadors Darcy Moore and Dee Salman on pit lane. Credit: Penny Stephens Melbourne is the first race under the LVMH sponsorship, and eyes will be on Albert Park this weekend for signs of what impact the cash injection will have on the sport.
It is unclear how much of the funding has been allocated to Melbourne, but the LVMH deal will usher in a new group of luxury sponsors. LVMH’s Tag Heuer has replaced Rolex as the official timekeeper, Moët & Chandon has replaced Taittinger, and the race trophies will be presented in handcrafted Louis Vuitton trunks. Ashley Powell, managing director of Moët Hennessy Australia & New Zealand, said the company’s champagne was first used on Formula 1 podiums in 1950.
“That moment of celebration with the pop of the champagne bottle on the podium, that’s the absolute reference for success and celebration,” he said. LVMH is installing a Moët & Chandon bar on the first level of the American Express lounge next to pit lane, along with a private entertainment suite. Off the track, the company will host a dinner on Thursday night at a home in Toorak to “celebrate the return of Moët & Chandon to the F1”.
On Wednesday night, there will be a Glamour on the Grid party sponsored by Crown, an invitation-only event for 800 guests. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz celebrates winning the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Credit: AP Melbourne’s grand prix ambassadors, Collingwood captain Darcy Moore and partner Dee Salmin, a Triple J presenter, will attend the party for the first time.
“What’s cool about it is that it’s a sporty event and it’s about motorsport, but there’s this whole other layer to it, which is the adrenalin, the rush, the style,” Moore said. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will play at the party alongside DJs, and guests will eat tempura chicken nuggets with caviar and oysters freshly shucked by roaming butlers. Also invited are Olympians Cathy Freeman, Peter Bol, Harry Garside and Jessica Hull, fashion designers Alin Le ’Kal, Con Iliopoulos and Jason Grech, comedians Jack Steele and Matt Ford from the Inspired Unemployed, state Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos and Crown Resorts chief executive David Tsai.
LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault, the world’s fifth-richest person, is not expected to attend, but a family member may. Once Glamour on the Grid is over, American Express will use its lounge to host customers and political, business, entertainment and sport leaders during the grand prix. Naysla Edwards, vice president of brand, customer marketing and member experience at American Express, said the lounge, which replaces the former Marriott lounge, will be three storeys this year, giving guests a view of drivers arriving in pit lane.
Influencer Rebecca Harding (centre) and TV star Matty Johnson (right) at the Moët & Chandon bar at Albert Park. Credit: Getty Images It will feature a beauty and hair bar by Shark Beauty and Mecca, and a menu from the Atria restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, including Murray cod with lemon myrtle and fennel, and a homemade ricotta. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, is preparing for its 16th year as a sponsor.
Mercedes-Benz spokesman Jerry Stamoulis said the company hosted 250 people over the race weekend when it began its sponsorship, and this year it would host 4000 guests. “We’ve increased capacity again, just because every year the demand is so high,” Stamoulis said. “Everything around us has grown.
And what I mean by that is Formula 1, the personalities in Formula 1, the diverse audience. Not only male and female, but also the age. Really, there is no age barrier when it comes to Formula 1.
” Jerry Stamoulis, the head of media relations for Mercedes-Benz in Australia. Credit: Justin McManus Stamoulis said the LVMH deal was “a good indication of how the sport is evolving, with more luxury brands coming into the space”. However, the race’s biggest sponsors will probably be Victorian taxpayers, who forked out a record $130.
1 million to fund the Australian Grand Prix Corporation last year, up from $120.2 million in 2022-23. When asked about the relevance of luxury brands at the grand prix during a cost-of-living crisis, Powell said shared moments of celebration needed to be more considered.
“Looking at F1, that’s a great opportunity for us because it has been a tough period with cost of living and inflation,” he said. “So, to give everyone an opportunity to get out, enjoy [it] on track or enjoying [watching] in homes with their friends, is just a perfect fit for our brands to shine.” Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights.
Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter ..
