Endorsements in Formula 1 make up a huge portion of the income of both the teams and drivers, with multi-million pound deals being signed all the time.
Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful athletes in the world with regards to endorsements, with his deal with Monster Energy and Tommy Hilfiger making up a large portion of his income.
Max Verstappen also has a number of sponsorship deals, mainly with brands from the Netherlands, but one of his main sponsors was recently embroiled in controversy.
Despite the owner of Dutch supermarket Jumbo being investigated for money laundering, Verstappen has retained this key sponsor under its new leadership.
READ: This 22-year-old racer will fill in for Lance Stroll at Aston Martin
The 25-year-old has now signed a multi-million pound deal with well-known Dutch beer company Heineken, who are already a global sponsor of Formula 1.
“Back in 2016, we never could have imagined that the sport would grow so much in a few years,” said Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink.
“Max has contributed enormously to this. His impact is huge.
“Formula 1 was originally mainly a European thing, but is increasingly becoming a global sponsorship platform.”
Verstappen will bear the ‘Player 0.0’ branding on his helmet this season, showcasing his involvement in Heineken’s new gaming platform.
Van den Brink has explained that while Heineken has only just partnered with Verstappen, the company would have liked to have struck a deal which the Dutchman much earlier.
Internal rules at Heineken prevented this partnership from happening however, as the brand were forbidden from approaching the Red Bull driver until he turned 25.
READ: Esteban Ocon makes ‘Fernando effect’ claim about Aston Martin
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf were the first to report the new deal and correspondent Erik van Haren has explained that the deal is somewhat unique for Heineken and will last six years.
“The deal itself is unique, because the brewer doesn’t normally work with individual athletes,” he explained.
Verstappen will be on the hunt to win his third successive drivers’ championship this season, having blown away the competition in 2022 with a record shattering 15 race wins over the course of last season.