The end of an era: from this season on, champagne will no longer be on display on Formula 1 stages. After all, the promoter of the queen class of motorsport has a three-year agreement with a prosecco producer with an appropriate name… Ferrari.
The winner of the Bahrain Grand Prix will not celebrate on the podium in three weeks with a three-liter bottle of champagne, but with the Italian sparkling wine prosecco.
The link between Formula 1 and champagne dates back to 1950, when the Grand Prix of France was held in Reims. The celebration with a bottle on the podium was an idea of Paul Chandon Moët and Frédéric Chandon de Brailles, two motorsport enthusiasts. Back then the champagne was still drunk, not sprayed around as usual since Dan Gurney first did it in 1967 after his victory in the 24 hours of Le Mans.
The prosecco that will be used in Formula 1 for the next three years has no link with the car brand Ferrari. The name comes from Giulio Ferrari, the oenologist who bottled the first bottles in 1902 and gave his name to the world famous prosecco.
Ferrari is not just any Italian sparkling wine. The Revue du Vin de France even calls the house between the great Champagne houses of Reims and Epernay.
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