Louis Vuitton Revs Up for Monaco Grand Prix

FOMO is running high ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix de Monaco, and given that Louis Vuitton is the title sponsor for the first time, Pietro Beccari’s inbox is bulging with 11th-hour requests.

“It’s probably the most prestigious, the most chic and the most glamorous Grand Prix of the year,” the chairman and chief executive officer of Vuitton told WWD in a Zoom interview Thursday from the car shuttling him, at a safe speed, to meetings in Paris. “We have an unprecedented number of people who want to participate — clients and aficionados of the brand — so we are a bit in difficulty with the tickets, and that’s really the sign of success.”

Vuitton’s full-court press around the event includes a limited-edition capsule collection; special windows at its Monaco boutique; trackside banners that telegraph speed and thrills; its first City Guide dedicated to the glitzy principality, and a rich program of experiences for “a significant number” of VICs who will be welcomed on board the new Orient Express Corinthian yacht, which started sailing last month.

Also, for the sixth consecutive year, Vuitton will roll out the bespoke Monaco Grand Prix Trophy Trunk in its distinctive red-and-black Monogram canvas, winning even more attention as Formula 1‘s global fanbase swells.

A recent twist on the presentation ceremony has Vuitton artisans nailing the initials of the winner into the trunk, which Beccari dubbed “live personalization.”

According to Pierre-Louis Vuitton, head of savoir-faire at the luxury giant, the trophy trunk embodies its key values of excellence, transmission and invention. “It is a craft defined by precision, where each gesture reflects a commitment to honoring achievement itself,” he said.

Vuitton kicked off its partnership with Formula 1 last year as title sponsor of the Australian Grand Prix and Beccari touted a positive impact so far.

“We have figures that testify the growing presence of female audiences and young audiences. So we are talking to a public that we are very interested in,” he related in his rapid-fire manner. “Being the title sponsor of Monaco is really a big step for us, and we believe that it’s not going to be only this year, but it’s going to be at least for the next five, six years.”

The executive noted that the capsule collection already sold out via one-to-one outreach to local clients and Formula 1 fans, a testament to the frenzied interest in the Monaco race, whose narrow course through the city’s streets and many tight corners make it one of the most demanding and unusual of the 24 race weekends in 2026. (Practices start Friday, with qualifiers on Saturday and the actual race on Sunday.)

“Clienteling, and the experiences that we can offer to our clients, is very much part of our partnership with Formula 1,” Beccari said in the interview. “There is a worldwide competition to get invited to the Monaco race.”

Leather goods in the limited-edition capsule collection also employ the red version of the Monogram found on the trunk, including a Keepall bag, which debuted in 1930. Vuitton is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its famous patterned canvas this year.

Vuitton boasts multiple historic ties to the automobile world. The founder’s son Georges anticipated the rise of cars as early as 1897 and began developing specific trunks for them, realized in a sturdy canvas material he christened “Vuittonite.”

In the late ’90s, Vuitton also organized rallies known as the Louis Vuitton Runs, plus vintage car shows and automobile design competitions. The last rally was held in 2012, kicking off in Monaco and finishing in Venice.

More recently, Vuitton had a partnership with the Automobile Club de Monaco from 2021 to 2024, and Beccari hinted that a new chapter with the prestigious club may soon arrive.

Vuitton also has been present in Monaco with a freestanding boutique since 1983, and Beccari revealed that next year he plans to expand and modernize the boutique, roughly doubling its size.

The boutique was last enlarged in 2005, and today spans three floors at 6 Avenue des Beaux-Arts.

Vuitton’s imminent retail expansion echoes the city state’s reputation for constant one-upmanship, recently making headlines when a five-floor luxury apartment sold for 471 million euros, setting a new residential real estate record.

“There’s something glamorous about Monaco, the casino and the people living there,” Beccari said. “It’s also fascinating to see how this little principality is part of the conversation in the world.”

Indeed, the City Guide delves into how Monaco evolved from a military and fishing port into a wealthy, cosmopolitan capital known for a construction industry seemingly on steroids.

Though the city spans only two square kilometers, Vuitton highlights around 200 “unmissable” addresses, destinations and activities, from gourmet tables and yoga retreats to art galleries and walking tours.

Beccari said he’s diving into its pages, fresh from the printer, “in order to know where to go first in order to discover something new.”

The 272-page tome includes an essay by Célia Bernasconi, director of the Monaco Heritage Institute; striking photographs in color and black-and-white; profiles of gaming employees, bakers and sommeliers, and of course, a meaty section on Formula 1 and the linchpin Monaco race.