Santander Renews McLaren F1 Deal

Spanish bank Santander will remain a sponsor of the McLaren F1 team despite signing a major five-year sponsorship deal with rival team Ferrari.

Santander has renewed its association with McLaren although the deal, for which financial details were not revealed, will see branding appear only on the drivers’ overalls and not on the car – a step down from its existing primary partnership contract with the team.

McLaren said in a statement that Santander has seen its brand awareness in Britain rise from 20% to 82% since the start of the three-year deal which saw British driver Lewis Hamilton win the World Championship in 2008.

Santander first joined McLaren back in 2007 in a deal coinciding with the team’s signing of Spanish driver Fernando Alonso.