Louis Vuitton’s ambitious secret plan to conquer Formula 1

Bernard Arnaultthe president of Louis Vuitton (LVMH)he decided to bet strong: he sealed a Investment of US $ 1,500 millions to ten years in the Formula 1with a look at much more than race cars. The agreement, which was announced at the end of 2024, coincided with the 75th anniversary of the category.

LVMH’s landing at F1 was not accidental. The category accumulated 1,500 million viewers last year and an average 70 million per race. An ideal scenario to reach new audiences that, until now, had not stepped on a boutique from Louis Vuitton nor evaluated a clock Tag Heuer.

The group identified an audience that no longer responds to the traditional luxury consumer profile: It is younger, more diverse and prioritizes emotional experiences over cold transactions.

The strategy was not built from a single mark of the conglomerate, but of three articulated fronts. Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton and Moët & Chandon They assumed defined roles within a plan that aims to conquer emotions along 24 global circuits. Each occupies a carefully designed space: the tImpo, design and celebration.

A podium with registered trademark

Tag Heuer took Rolex the role of official timer Monaco Grand Prixand became the new visible face of the precise measurement on the track. Louis Vuitton adapted his traditional travel trunks to protect the racing trophies. Moët & Chandon became the forced presence on the podiums, sponsoring the 2025 Belgium Grand Prix and baptizing other events with his name, such as Grand Prix of Australia Louis Vuitton of Formula 1.

Louis Vuitton Formula 1

That presence is much more than an aesthetic effect. Brands gain direct exposure to an audience that seeks more than ostentation connection. The F1, which for years was associated with a closed elite, is now transformed into an access channel for consumers who value the storytelling behind what they buy. There, Luxury finds a new way of legitimizing.

More women on the track, more new looks

The strategy also contemplates a cultural change that is often overlooked: the growth of the female public. 40 % of those who follow F1 in the world today are women. And not only look. They participate, produce and propose. In that field, LVMH found a chance.

Tag Heuer joined the F1 Academy ™, an exclusive series series for women, designed to reach the highest categories of motor racing. The general director of the initiative, Susie Wolff, was clear: “We have a unique opportunity to transform our industry, promoting female participation at all levels of motor racing.”

But not everything goes through the engines. The change also appears on the margins of the circuit, as evidenced by the case of Samantha Zimmermann, a plastic artist specialized in automobile realism. Together with other colleagues, she was invited to show her work in the exclusive Paddock Clubwhere in addition to exhibiting paintings, he made live demonstrations and participated in interactive activities with the public. A different way of living F1, crossed by art and emotional commitment.

Louis Vuitton Formula 1

The transformation of F1 into a luxury platform does not seek only visibility. It wants to generate lasting links. Arnault understands that luxury cannot be a distant postcard, but a story that accompanies trajectories. Therefore, the bet is to arrive first, connect with the emotion before the wallet and accompany the consumer until the moment of its first purchase.

In this sense, F1 is a kind of laboratory in which it is proved how to get differently. The brands do not seek to scream from a billboard, but to join the experience: a closed curve at 290 km/h, an unexpected victory, a glass that explodes. Moments that are lived in their own flesh and that activate wishes. Logic is no longer aspirational: it is sensory. It is no longer necessary to imagine luxury in a window. Now you can touch it, smell, see closely. And in that movement, traditional codes change.

Louis Vuitton Formula 1 Lando Norris

Direct impact on the premises and in the figures

Not by chance, the increase in Tag Heuer store trafficking forced the brand to increase the production of models linked to motor racing. The rise of the firm among Swiss watchs – on the 15th to 11th in sales – was given parallel with the association to F1.

The cultural expansion then became the true competitive advantage. Brands are no longer limited to selling a product. Therefore, traditional marketing is no longer reached: no advertising fence achieves what a final lap loaded with suspense transmits into the body.

For LVMH, F1 is the ideal vehicle for that. A sport that demands precision and displays emotion. That mixes technology with classic rituals such as unfortunate a bottle of champagne. That makes each race a shared story. And that today, more than ever, opens the door to a generation that seeks to belong through what he feels.