CHIVAS REGAL, FERRARI AND CHARLES LECLERC: A WEEKEND OF MASTERY IN MONZA
There are Formula 1 races, and then there is Monza. You feel the difference before you even reach the circuit. Ferrari flags appear everywhere, flashes of red take over the streets and the closer you get to the track, the more the excitement builds. By race day, the energy of the Tifosi is impossible to escape.
This year, we had the opportunity to experience the Italian Grand Prix from a very special perspective, joining Chivas Regal in Milan and Monza for a weekend celebrating its partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP and its Global Brand Ambassador, Charles Leclerc.
And while Formula 1 was naturally at the heart of the weekend, we quickly discovered that this wasn’t going to be only about racing. From whisky and chess to music, Italian food and, of course, the incredible atmosphere of Monza, the weekend was built around one recurring idea: mastery comes in many different forms.
Charles Leclerc, beyond the racetrack
Charles Leclerc is obviously best known for what he can do behind the wheel of a Ferrari, but his relationship with Chivas Regal reveals another side of him.
Rather than simply putting his name to the partnership, Leclerc has become involved creatively with the brand, bringing some of his interests outside Formula 1 into the collaboration. Two of those projects were particularly present throughout our weekend: Chivas Regal 16 Year Old and SE!ZE, a chess-inspired game created with Leclerc.
The whisky is perhaps the most personal expression of the partnership so far. Created together with Chivas Regal Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, Chivas Regal 16 Year Old is Leclerc’s first co-created whisky. The significance of the number hardly needs explaining to Formula 1 fans, 16 is the number Leclerc carries on his Ferrari.
That connection continues inside the bottle. The blend combines sixteen carefully selected whiskies, each matured for at least sixteen years. Leclerc also played a part in choosing Longmorn Single Malt matured in sherry casks as its signature component.
It was interesting to discover this side of the collaboration while being surrounded by Formula 1, because whisky-making and racing might appear to have very little in common. Over the course of the weekend, however, the connection started to make sense. Both are ultimately about precision, patience and a long series of decisions where seemingly small details can influence the final result.
Leclerc vs Nakamura: a different kind of competition
Leclerc’s competitive side wasn’t reserved for the circuit. Ahead of the Grand Prix, Chivas Regal brought him face-to-face with chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura for a live showdown of SE!ZE.
SE!ZE takes inspiration from chess and strategic thinking, and seeing Leclerc and Nakamura compete brought the idea behind the wider collaboration to life. The pressure was different from anything Leclerc experiences in a Formula 1 car, but the need to think ahead, react quickly and commit to a decision felt surprisingly familiar.
It also gave a glimpse of Leclerc away from the intensity of the paddock. Competitive, certainly, but clearly enjoying the opportunity to test himself in a completely different environment. And that became one of the themes we kept returning to throughout the weekend: mastery doesn’t always mean doing what you already know how to do. Sometimes the most interesting moments happen when you leave familiar territory.
Our weekend begins in Milan
Before heading to Monza, our weekend with Chivas Regal started in considerably more elegant surroundings. We spent Friday evening at Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan for Chivas Regal’s House of Mastery. Stepping inside the historic palazzo felt like entering another world. Built in the 18th century and once home to Napoleon and Joséphine during their time in Milan, its grand rooms and frescoed interiors provided a spectacular setting for the beginning of the weekend.
It was our first real introduction to the world Chivas Regal had created around the Italian Grand Prix — a mix of heritage, contemporary culture, hospitality and craftsmanship. With Chivas Regal cocktails in hand, we moved through an evening that felt distinctly Milanese: elegant without being overly formal, historic yet very much alive. A special performance by pianist Emilio Piano, accompanied by opera performance, provided one of the memorable moments of the night and added music to the growing list of disciplines through which Chivas Regal was exploring its idea of mastery.
Experiencing Monza from The Regal Suites
Nothing quite prepares you for arriving at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. The atmosphere changes immediately. You hear the circuit before you properly see it, and everywhere you look there is Ferrari red. The Tifosi don’t simply support Ferrari. At Monza, they seem to become part of the race itself.
We experienced the weekend from The Regal Suites, created by Chivas Regal in celebration of its partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP. It gave us a base right in the middle of the action while also allowing us to explore more of the collaboration away from the track, with many guests from the Ferrari team giving us insight into behind the scenes.
In The Regal Suites, the experience of course remained unmistakably Italian. Fresh mozzarella was stretched in front of us, signature Leclerc x Chivas Regal cocktails were served throughout the day and guests could personalise Scuderia Ferrari HP caps with their own monograms.
Watching Ferrari race at Monza is one of those sporting experiences that is difficult to describe until you’ve been there. Every appearance of a red car generates a reaction. Every overtake matters. And everywhere, from the grandstands to the walkways, you are surrounded by people for whom Ferrari is far more than simply another Formula 1 team.
It was here that the Chivas Regal and Scuderia Ferrari HP partnership made the most sense to us. On paper, a Scottish whisky house and an Italian Formula 1 team belong to very different worlds. Experiencing them together in Monza revealed the common ground: heritage, craftsmanship, precision and the constant desire to improve.
Every move matters
By the end of the weekend, what stayed with us wasn’t one single moment. It was the contrast between them all.
From Scotland’s whisky-making heritage to Ferrari’s home race in Italy, from the chessboard to the racetrack, they are very different expressions of the same pursuit. And perhaps that’s what we took away from our weekend with Chivas Regal in Monza: mastery isn’t confined to one discipline, nor does it happen in one defining moment. It’s built through all the decisions that lead there.
In whisky, in chess and certainly in Formula 1, every move matters.
