Max Verstappen: F1 champion's lucrative sponsors and endorsements

Max Verstappen

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Max Verstappen: F1 champion's lucrative sponsors and endorsements

The Dutchman is one of the highest-earning drivers in the sport

Chris Deeley

Monday 10 July 2023 19:05 Updated: 12:13

Endorsements, sponsorships, and advertising are a vital part of Formula 1. Not only does it keep many teams financially afloat, but it allows companies to try and develop their own brands to a more significant, global audience.

Although sports like soccer, basketball, and cricket draw millions of people worldwide, F1 is a genuinely global sport in every sense.

The world’s No. 1

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Red Bull’s top driver is head and shoulders above his competition. The Dutch-Belgian driver already has two World Championships under his belt, and given that he is still 25, many believe he could go on to eclipse some of the finest F1 drivers of all time.

There is no doubt that Verstappen has the ability on paper, but his consistency and drive to win are two things that stand him apart from the opposition. This colossal difference between him and the rest of the current chasing pack makes his vehicle, uniform, and overall image so appealing to many corporations looking to pay big money for his endorsement.

Last year, Verstappen signed an endorsement deal worth millions, his first venture into gambling sponsorship, penning a megadeal with Red Bull and their official poker sponsor.

Online poker has become such a huge business because of the mass availability of smartphones and the internet, so much so that companies in this sector can dish out seven-figure sums to have the world’s biggest sporting names, like Verstappen, endorse them.

The internet hasn’t just helped online poker companies flourish and generate huge money to fuel these endorsements with the world’s biggest sporting names; it has also allowed more people to understand the game, understanding the basics such as how poker hands work, and build communities where you can play against people from all over the world without even having to leave your home.

With the mass availability of online poker games you can join, it isn’t surprising that this globally popular game has found such a massive international audience. Verstappen isn’t the only big name in F1 who has been associated with poker over the years.

In 2020, Lewis Hamilton was pictured having a poker game with friends, and Daniel Ricciardo is another active driver with connections with online poker companies.

Additional bumper endorsements

This is the tip of the iceberg for Max, though, it’s difficult to pinpoint just how much his endorsements are worth precisely, but some financial and sports analysts have put it quickly into the eight-figure region, which some of the biggest names in their sectors paying him for lucrative sponsorships, such as Heineken and EA Sports.

Although Verstappen has a long way to go to catch up to the net worth of some of the other big names in the F1, if he continues to perform to the exceptional, world-class levels that he has been over the last few years, he will eclipse even the likes of Sir Lewis Hamilton, who is believed to have a net worth of around £140 million.

Final thoughts

Max’s endorsement deal with EA Sports could be the one that ends up earning him the most money. You only need to explore how Tiger Woods used his profile to springboard his name and image rights to millions of video gamers by signing exclusively with EA Sports in the 1990s.

If Verstappen can string together three or four more championship wins before he turns 30, he will undoubtedly become the global face of F1. Given that he is so far ahead in this year’s standings, his third championship in as many years is essentially guaranteed.

Many fans have already discussed the possibility of Max being on course to smash records set by some of the greatest drivers of all time.

Anybody who watches the Dutch-Belgian at the minute knows that they’re witnessing something special, regardless of the opinions people hold of him outside of the sport; he has a laser-like focus to consistently finish top of the podium, a mindset that is akin to some of his idols and some of the most significant drivers in the history of the sport.

If Verstappen continues this sensational form and continues to smash through previous records, his value will continue to skyrocket.

Speaking from an endorsement and advertising perspective, although he currently has a hugely popular name and his brand is one of the most exciting and lucrative in any sport, if he can push his name into the history books, and start to rival some of the all-time greats for championships, the endorsement deals that will follow will be staggering.