No single event in Australia’s sporting calendar is as grand or exclusive as the week-long F1 festivites in Melbourne. This year, the city reclaimed its crown as the debut race of the season, with a palpable excitement all across the Victorian capital to match.
On-track there was plenty of popcorn action for attendees to sink their teeth into, including a roster of all-star rookies making their respective Formula 1 debuts. A young and hungry Oscar Piastri, with a very capable car, was eager to impress; and a pillar of the sport – Sir Lewis Hamilton – began the next chapter of a glittering career, this time with Scuderia Ferrari. Add in a day of dramatic, wet track conditions and we couldn’t have asked for much more.
Off-track, global luxury titan LVMH took centre stage for its first ever race-wide sponsorship: leveraging many of its 70+ brands in the fashion and beverage space at no small expense.
With that, here’s a quick look in the rearview at the week that was – at the 2025 Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix.
Wednesday – Belvedere 10 at Maison Bâtard
To kickstart LVMH’s week-long run of F1 activations, Belvedere hosted a soirée at Lucas Group’s buzzy new multi-venue destination, Maison Bâtard.
This year, Belvedere becomes the first ever ‘Official Vodka’ of Formula 1: providing the perfect occasion to hero its Belvedere 10 Diamond Rye bottling.
A star-studded guestlist was also in attendance: including such familiar faces as Josh Heuston, Mel Jarnson, Jerome Farah, Sener Besim, and Yasmin Suteja. Naturally, Belvedere-built Martinis were the signature (and exclusive) tipple of the evening, enjoyed alongside a four-course tasting menu of classic French cuisine.
After dinner, guests descended to Le Club for an exclusive after-party: complete with ‘drops’ of Blevedere 10 and cheeky caviar bumps, sound tracked by local Melbourne selector Sasha Fern.
Photography courtesy of Peter van Alphen
Thursday – An Evening of Excellence with Moët & Chandon
No Toorak mansion was left undisturbed by the Arnault clan’s house of brands for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, with Moët & Chandon being another significant presence well beyond the confines of Albert Park.
Guests who joined the celebration included Dan Carter, Formula 1 drivers David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve, as well as Abbey Lee, Jessica Gomes and Inka Williams. Sydney-side hospitality heavy Joel Bickford prepared a five-course meal (heavy on his preferred proteins of veal and toothfish) served on the lawn of a stately private residence – by candlelight to jazzy tunes courtesy of award-winning pianist Nathan Liow.
On the carte guests got to imbibe a trio of notable vintage bubbles: both the 2013 and 2016 editions of the signature Grand Vintage, plus a standout Grand Vintage Rosé 2016.
Photography courtesy of Virgile Guinard
Friday – TAG Heuer Returns To Formula 1
The battle of the brands continued on Friday following a big day of practice sessions on track, with precision watchmaker TAG Heuer making an explosive return to the world of Formula 1 as ‘Official Timekeeper’ (the brand’s first historic foray into F1 was as timing partner of Scuderia Ferrari in the 1970s).
Naturally, an evening of exceptional eating and drinking brought together an equally impressive lineup of senior execs – including the man himself, Frédéric Arnault, CEO of LVMH Watches; as well as Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1 and Antoine Pin, CEO of TAG Heuer.
But naturally, all eyes were on globally acclaimed actress Alexandra Daddario, who dominated the media wall and media attention – with a diamond-set Carrera ‘Glassbox’ chronograph on the wrist. How good.
Photography courtesy of Teddy Morellec
Saturday – Ahoy Club Afterparty on MISCHIEF
To plug the gap between qualifiers on Saturday and the big do 24 hours later, Ahoy Club stepped up with an exclusive (and ticketed) afterparty aboard its premium charter: the 54-metre Baglietto, MISCHIEF.
The newly-refitted superyacht sailed down from its home port of Sydney for the occasion, draped bow-to-stern in Patron El Alto branding and a cahce of margaritas and caviar to match.
Rich Penny spun tunes on the top deck, floating on a DJ booth perched above the jacuzzi, with the vessel finally making its return to the Docklands in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Photography courtesy of Jack Bennett
Sunday – HOUSE OF 10 at Ms Collins
To cap off a weekend of antics, Belvedere returned for an ambitious takeover of clubland institution Ms Collins, transforming the mega-venue’s iconic hues of pink and colour into a monochrome evening for Belvedere 10.
An appropriately explosive end to what has been one of the most exciting Australian Grand Prix in recent memory.
