Louis Vuitton Is Revved Up About Its Formula 1 Partnership
Travel — a running narrative at Louis Vuitton since 1854 — will be going at more than 200 miles an hour this year as the French brand becomes an official partner of Formula 1.
Vuitton’s multipronged role in the elite motorsport includes title sponsorship of key races — starting with the March opener in Australia — trackside signage, and key visibility during victory ceremonies as the sole supplier of trophy trunks.
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“It will be undeniable that we are the main sponsor, because we’ll have premium and exclusive visibility on the circuit,” Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer, told WWD in an exclusive interview.
Races also offer occasions for the luxury house to craft unique hospitality experiences for its top clients — and to leverage Formula 1’s burgeoning global popularity, especially among women and youth, and cruise onto the radar of potential new clients.
Beccari described numerous affinities between Formula 1 and Vuitton.
“It’s a sort of metaphor of travel, because Formula 1 is like a traveling circus that every 15 days appears here and there around the globe,” he said. “If you visit a Formula 1 garage, you will see that it looks like an atelier of trunks because it’s so clean, so incredibly silent, with people concentrated and looking at every single detail, and that’s our passion.”
Indeed, Vuitton’s historic atelier in Asnières, a northern suburb of Paris, is in the throes of producing 24 bespoke trophy trunks — one for each race in the 2025 season, adapted to the size of the trophies. The first race is the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025 on March 16 in Melbourne. (Vuitton counts 13 stores in the country.)
Beccari also cited a shared “spirit of innovation” between the two.
“The essence of Formula 1 is that every year you have new little details that makes the difference for the people to win, and that’s also very much in the spirit of Louis Vuitton — the habit to go beyond what we did and to invent new ways,” he said.
Widening its association with prominent sporting events also burnishes Vuitton’s stature as a “cultural brand,” Beccari added, alluding to its various artistic affiliations and entertainment projects, plus various hospitality components in its boutiques — from full-fledged restaurants to chocolate shops.
The executive did not rule out capsule collections around Formula 1 in future, much like it developed apparel and accessories for last summer’s Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona.
It was clear Vuitton would be prominently implicated in Formula 1 last October when its parent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton signed on as global luxury partner of the motorsports championship for the next 10 years. (Watchmaker Rolex was the previous global partner and official timekeeper.)
The development reflected deepening connections between luxury brands and Formula 1, which has seen a surge in popularity among younger viewers, fueled by the Netflix series “Drive to Survive.” The competition is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
Formula 1 drew 6 million race attendees and a cumulative TV audience of 1.5 billion last year, as reported. The average audience per race is around 70 million, but some may top the 100 million mark, while the social media tally of the competition has passed 60 million fans across all its platforms.
Beccari lauded the stewardship of Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1.
“I strongly believe in what he’s doing for the sport,” Beccari said. “Since he took over Formula 1, it’s attracted much more interest, and it’s opening to markets like the United States, which are very important for us as well.
“We will reinforce our presence in sports in general, and will be able to be visible to many men and women watching Formula 1.”
In a release, Domenicali said “the synergies between our organizations are exceptional, with our mutual focus on innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence — values we know resonate with our respective audiences.”
Vuitton was already involved in the prestigious motor racing competition.
For the past four years, the winner of the Grand Prix de Monaco received the trophy in a custom Louis Vuitton trunk. In recent years, the French brand also has partnered with major sporting events including the FIFA, Ballon d’Or, Rugby World Cup, the Australian Open and, most recently, the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, Vuitton’s roster of brand ambassadors include basketball player Victor Wembanyama, tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, swimming champion Léon Marchand, and rugby player Antoine Dupont.
Asked what Vuitton has learned from its tightening ties with sporting events and athletes, Beccari replied: “We are doing the right thing. Sports are part of the modern culture of the young people, but not only the young. Sport is very important nowadays.
“Having a good balance between work and sport, a healthy body and a clear mind are all essential for living a beautiful life today…. Louis Vuitton is a brand that is representing a lifestyle, and sport is part of the lifestyle.”
Beccari noted that Vuitton’s involvement in Formula 1 is not fixed for the entire 10-year duration of the contract.
“As Formula 1 evolves its rules, we will evolve our presence,” he said. “It’s going to be a dialogue… and we’ll see how we can mutually profit from this partnership.”
Vuitton has no Formula 1 merchandise in the pipeline for 2025; however, “in the future, there will be opportunities,” Beccari said, noting that Nicolas Ghesquière and Pharrell Williams, Vuitton’s women’s and men’s artistic directors, are “very passionate about cars.”
Vuitton boasts multiple historic ties to the automobile world. The founder’s son Georges anticipated the rise of cars as early as 1897 and began developing specific trunks for them, realized in a sturdy canvas material he dubbed “Vuittonite.”
In the late ’90s, Vuitton also organized rallies known as the Louis Vuitton Runs, plus vintage car shows and automobile design competitions.
Last summer, Louis Vuitton hosted more than 1,200 VIP guests at the America’s Cup Barcelona, and the Formula 1 season offers a multitude of opportunities to “offer them something they will never forget.
“Louis Vuitton is about emotion, about loyalizing the customer by offering them a unique experience that money cannot buy,” Beccari said. “Many of our partnerships consider this possibility for our clients… Having them experience something unexpected and something that goes beyond their widest fantasies is part of what we are in the game for.”
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