Champagne is a sparkling drink often sprayed on the podium after a Grand Prix. Moët & Chandon became the first official champagne supplier to Formula One in 1966. Ferrari Trento has been the official champagne supplier since 2021.
The tradition of receiving champagne on the Formula One podium started at the 1950 French Grand Prix. Moët & Chandon, a local French winery, donated a bottle of champagne to race winner Juan Manuel Fangio.[1]
The act of spraying the champagne on the podium was first introduced accidentally at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, when the race winner Jo Siffert inadvertently sprayed the crowd after the cork in his bottle popped out.[1] The following year at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, Dan Gurney sprayed champagne from the podium to celebrate his first and only overall 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.[2] The celebration caught the attention of fellow drivers and a tradition was born.
If a driver is injured or killed during a race weekend, champagne is sometimes awarded on the podium but seldom sprayed. In countries where alcohol is prohibited, sparkling fruit juice is often used instead of champagne.
Champagne suppliers in F1[]
- Moët & Chandon (1966–1999, 2020)
- G.H. Mumm (2000–2015)
- Chandon (Australia 2016-Spanish 2017)
- Carbon (Monaco 2017–2019)
- Ferrari Trento (2021–Present)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Podium champagne a nearly 50-year-old tradition". Circuit of the Americas. 30 December 2014. http://circuitoftheamericas.com/blog/2014/12/30/podium-champagne-a-nearly-50-year-old-tradition. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ↑ Marcus, Ted. "How the Tradition of Spraying Champagne After a Race Began". Dyler. https://dyler.com/posts/191/how-the-tradition-of-spraying-champagne-after-a-race-began. Retrieved 20 April 2022.