\n\tThe day before the race, Sibylle Scherer, chief executive officer of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon, stood on the starting grid at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and beamed as she looked up at the red-and-white brand logo emblazoned above the starting lights.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a homecoming,\u201d she told WWD later that day in the Cool Down Room, the space where the top three drivers regroup before the podium ceremony. Mo\u00ebt & Chandon redesigned the space with berths for their helmets, in addition to introducing a new champion\u2019s corridor leading up to the podium at Spa.<\/p>\n
\n\tDecked out in its signature red with white neon speed stripes, the walk of fame had previous winners\u2019 names printed on the floor. At the outcome of a race that was delayed due to heavy rain, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri\u2019s name was added to the roster, as he celebrated his win by spraying a jeroboam of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon.<\/p>\n
\n\tAmerican driver Dan Gurney started the tradition by showering guests, including Henry Ford II, with Mo\u00ebt & Chandon at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1967. Four years later, the brand began presenting jeroboams of Brut Imp\u00e9rial to the winners of Formula 1 races, becoming the sport\u2019s official Champagne from 1981 to 1997.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tRace winner Oscar Piastri leaves the podium with his trophy and Champagne during the Formula 1 Mo\u00ebt & Chandon Belgian Grand Prix 2025.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormula 1 via Getty Images\/Courtesy of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s the big advantage that we have: it\u2019s joining a great past with a great future. We\u2019re not newcomers into this that look at it as a marketing<\/a> thing. I think we have a lot of credibility, because we\u2019re so much a part of the tapestry of this sport,\u201d said Scherer. \u201cFor the drivers, Mo\u00ebt belongs on the podium.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe brand\u2019s major presence at Spa symbolized its ambitions in F1, one of two key pillars for its promotional activities this year, alongside its collaboration with Pharrell Williams<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe initiatives come amid a slump in Champagne sales, with total shipments down 9.2 percent year-on-year in 2024 due to inflation and geopolitical uncertainty, according to producers\u2019 association Comit\u00e9 Champagne.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cShort-term, of course, it gives us visibility, but I think it\u2019s way more than visibility for us. It\u2019s authentic connection. This is where you craft emotions,\u201d said Scherer. \u201cAnd of course, there\u2019s a next generation that is falling in love with Formula 1, and that is also, hopefully for us, the next generation of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon lovers.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tA Shared History\t<\/p>\n \n\tEmphasizing shared values of passion, precision, technology and teamwork, she stressed that Mo\u00ebt & Chandon, founded in 1743, takes a long-term view.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re so happy to have signed a 10-year contract. This is not an \u2018in and out.\u2019 This is a relationship that is built on authenticity, that\u2019s built on a long tradition dating back to the \u201850s,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tOscar Piastri leads the field away at the race start during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Belgian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormula 1 via Getty Images\/Courtesy of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon<\/p>\n \n\tThe race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is unique both in terms of its proximity to the Champagne vineyards and its historic ties to the brand.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Spa track has been a part of Formula 1 since the inaugural FIA World Championship in 1950. That year, Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio won both at Spa and at the French Grand Prix in Reims, where Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chandon de Briailles presented him with a bottle of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon.<\/p>\n \n\tThe relationship deepened the following year, when Fangio triumphed again in France and was invited to celebrate at Mo\u00ebt & Chandon\u2019s Ch\u00e2teau de Saran, a stately home where the brand now hosts guests on an invitation-only basis.<\/p>\n \n\tAt its VIP lounge overlooking the pit lane, a video showed a hot air balloon shaped like a Champagne cork making the journey from Ch\u00e2teau de Saran to the Spa track. Elsewhere in the Paddock Club hospitality area, vintage Mo\u00ebt & Chandon bottles signed by world champions including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost were on display.<\/p>\n \n\tTo commemorate the Belgian Grand Prix, Mo\u00ebt & Chandon produced a limited-edition version of the celebratory jeroboam, available to private clients only. This numbered edition, priced at 35,000 euros, is engraved with the name of the three winning drivers of the race alongside the name of the buyer.<\/p>\n \n\tJacques Villeneuve, who won the Formula 1 World Drivers\u2019 Championship in 1997 with Williams, said his early memories of the sport are intertwined with Mo\u00ebt.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tRace winner Oscar Piastri, second placed Lando Norris and third placed Charles Leclerc celebrate on the podium during the F1 Belgian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images\/Courtesy of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI love the history of motorsport in general, of what built this sport, and Mo\u00ebt & Chandon is part of what I saw when I watched Formula 1 and what I experienced in my best years,\u201d he said during a meet-and-greet at the brand lounge.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was a shame later on when there were years without any Champagne at all. It makes the podium feel a little naked, no?\u201d he added. \u201cThe presence of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon and the LVMH group signals a concrete return to the roots of Formula 1, because Formula 1 is not new \u2014 except that now, it\u2019s become cool again to love cars.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tA Global Phenomenon\t<\/p>\n \n\tMo\u00ebt & Chandon treats VICs at the 24 Grand Prix races worldwide to special experiences including paddock tours, pit lane walks and track truck tours, but it\u2019s equally keen to address a growing global audience that follows the sport from afar, thanks in part to the Netflix series \u201cFormula 1: Drive to Survive,\u201d now in its seventh season.<\/p>\n \n\tAs it celebrates its 75th anniversary, Formula 1 has a global fanbase of 826.5 million, an increase of 90 million over the 2023 season driven by a surge in Chinese fans, according to Nielsen Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tMo\u00ebt, which is distributed in 150 countries, is reaching those viewers mainly through its Instagram account, which has 913,000 followers. \u201cThat\u2019s where we tell our stories. We want to have as many people participate as possible in these incredible moments,\u201d Scherer explained. \u201cFormula 1 is really a global phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAt the heart of its storytelling is the slogan: \u201cVictory is better when shared.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tSibylle Scherer<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Mo\u00ebt & Chandon<\/p>\n \n\tAs Mo\u00ebt & Chandon deepens its relationship with F1 organizers and teams, it\u2019s exploring ways to help the sport become more sustainable and diverse through initiatives including F1 Academy, an\u00a0all-women single-seater racing championship with seven races coinciding with the\u00a0Formula 1 calendar.<\/p>\n \n\tFormula 1 has committed to achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, and starting in 2026, F1 cars will use 100 percent sustainable fuels. Scherer believes the sport can drive innovation that will benefit other sectors. \u201cSometimes we forget that,\u201d she mused.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n