Jumbo, sponsor of Max Verstappen and the Dutch GP, is going to withdraw from Formula 1

Jumbo, a Dutch supermarket chain created in 1979, was one of the first major sponsors of Max Verstappen in Formula 3, with their logo appearing on his helmet throughout his career. However, at the end of the current season, Jumbo will completely withdraw from sports sponsorship, according to the company’s CEO, Ton van Veen.

This decision follows the resignation of the former CEO, Frits van Eerd, in October 2022, following an investigation for money laundering. This case also concerns their involvement in motorsport, but Jumbo’s withdrawal as Verstappen’s sponsor is unrelated according to Van Veen.

« Max is a popular hero, of course, but he acts on the global stage, «he explains to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. « We are a very good food retailer, but only in the Netherlands and a little in Belgium. We invest over 20 million euros every year in sports sponsorship, but I can only spend each euro once. We cannot give back to the customer the money that goes to Max, nor invest it in sustainable development or health.»

Sponsorship also stops at Zandvoort

Jumbo is also one of the main sponsors of the Dutch Grand Prix and has declared that the support for the race will also cease as part of the reduction in sponsorship at the end of the season. According to Mr. Van Veen, the supermarket chain will also stop sponsoring its cycling team, Jumbo-Visma.

He added: « We do not want suspicions to reflect on the sport. With Max Verstappen and Jumbo-Visma, we are stopping for a completely different reason. This sponsorship has brought us a lot of notoriety, but we have now won everything there is to win.