Williams secure new partnership with Santander thanks to the arrival of Carlos Sainz

With the 2024 F1 season having just come to an end, Williams have announced a new multi-year partnership with Spanish bank Santander for the upcoming season.

One of the world’s leading banks with 171 million customers worldwide, Santander will join the British team to complement its series sponsorship as Formula 1’s official retail banking partner which also starts next year.

Santander has established a partnership with Ferrari in recent years, but the Spanish bank elected this year to part ways with the Scuderia. With Carlos Sainz having left the Maranello-based outfit to join Williams, it was an obvious choice for the Spanish company to forge a partnership with the Grove-based outfit for the future.

Santander promises to offer exclusive experiences with access to the paddock and driver events, and to increase its brand visibility especially in the US where there are three F1 races and the team will showcase Santander’s Openbank brand.

The partnership will see Santander or Openbank branding appear on the FW47, driver helmets and team clothing throughout 2025 when Williams’ challenge will be led by Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.

The announcement followed the announcement of a series of new partners with the team: Williams has recently announced extended and expanded partnerships with Duracell, Gulf Oil International and Kraken for 2025, and F1’s first autonomous vehicle partnership with robotaxi company Zoox.

Commenting on the announcement, Williams team boss James Vowles said: “Williams Racing is proud to add Santander to our growing roster of iconic and innovative partners for 2025 and beyond.

“Joining forces with a global banking giant trusted by tens of millions of people around the world is another significant step in our transformation and we look forward to working with Santander to engage and excite fans in the years ahead.”

Juan Manuel Cendoya, who serves as the Global Head of Communications , Corporate Marketing and Research of Santander and Vice Chair of Santander Spain, commented: “We are delighted to partner with Williams Racing with a tactical agreement that allows us to keep offering exclusive experiences to our customers and continue to support Carlos Sainz in his new stage.

“This is one of the most historic teams with the greatest legacy in F1, and complements our role as the official retail banking partner of the competition with a focus on our main markets.”