Santander has joined Williams in a multi-year deal that will see its branding feature on the FW46 in post-season testing, and next season’s FW47, driver helmets and team clothing.
The partnership ensures the Spanish bank remains on the Formula 1 grid as a team sponsor following its decision to part ways with Ferrari and sign a deal with F1 itself as the championship’s Retail Banking Partner for 2025 – as previously revealed on dannyherbert.com.
Santander officially announced in June 2024 that the global bank would not continue its latest partnership with Ferrari – having only begun its current tenure in 2022. Ferrari quickly drafted in banking firm UniCredit as the effective replacement.
Many speculated the bank would head the way of Williams and follow in the footsteps of Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who already knew he would be heading for the exit door at Maranello prior to June. One could presume Sainz’s move did forge a path for this deal to take place.
The partnership with Formula 1 itself, which also begins officially next season, didn’t seem to be publicly on the cards until the unexpected announcement on the 4th September.
Williams claims Santander has partnered with the Grove-based team, in addition to the F1 deal, to create a collaboration that acts as a “global platform to connect with customers offering exclusive experiences with access to the paddock and driver events, and to increase its brand visibility especially in the US.”
It is expected that at the Miami, United States and Las Vegas Grands Prix, Santander’s branding will be substituted for its Openbank brand instead.
“Joining forces with a global banking giant trusted by tens of millions of people around the world is another significant step in our transformation,” James Vowles, Williams Team Principal, stated in the official press release.
It’s clear that Williams does appear to be on a positive commercial trajectory. Recently announced partnership expansions with the likes of Duracell, Gulf Oil International and Kraken for 2025, and F1’s first autonomous vehicle partnership with robotaxi company Zoox intend to shift the historic team back into a position to build championship challenging machinery once again.
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