Moët & Chandon is set to take over the track at Albert Park for 2027, but the champagne house will arrive to a different structure as Melbourne loses the season opener to Bahrain and drops to the third round of the calendar.
Key Takeaways
- Moët & Chandon will be title sponsor of the 2027 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation confirmed on Friday.
- The champagne house takes the naming rights from Qatar Airways, which held the 2026 race. Louis Vuitton, another LVMH house, had the 2025 event.
- The deal follows the Maison’s title sponsorship of the Formula 1 Moët & Chandon Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
- Melbourne loses the season opener to Bahrain in 2027 and moves to the third round, with the race set for April 4.
- Albert Park will also stage a sprint race for the first time, one of 10 sprint rounds on a 24-race calendar.
Key Background
The champagne house will now become the fourth title sponsor at Albert Park in four years, following Rolex, Louis Vuitton and most recently Qatar Airways.
Rolex held the naming rights from 2013 to 2020, then again in 2023 and 2024, with 2024 the tenth occasion for the partnership. Heineken sponsored the 2022 race. Louis Vuitton took the 2025 race under a 10-year LVMH global partnership, and Qatar Airways held 2026.
The deal covers the 2027 race, which loses the season-opening slot Melbourne held in 2025 and 2026.
Bahrain takes the March 14 start, its first season opener since 2024, Saudi Arabia follows in Jeddah, and Melbourne moves to round three on April 4. Albert Park had opened the season in all but two years from 1996 to 2019 before the 2020 cancellation broke the run.
The race also adds a sprint for the first time, one of 10 sprint rounds on a 24-race 2027 calendar, up from six this year.
Big Number
483,934 – the attendance at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Crucial Quote
“Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix continues to be one of the most in-demand races on the global Formula 1 calendar and we expect 2027 to be no different,” says Australian Grand Prix CEO, Travis Auld. “The F1 Sprint Race is an exciting addition for fans, with Friday and Saturday now offering more on-track action than ever before.”
What to watch for
Whether Formula 1 starts the season in the Middle East at all.
Both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds carry uncertainty, and F1 is unlikely to decide until January, with pre-season testing in Bahrain set for late February.
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