Santander leaves Ferrari and F1 for the Champions League
It's a major sponsor that will leave Ferrari as the Spanish bank Santander has announced it will no longer be present in F1 next season.
Two weeks ago, Hugo Boss, a historic sponsor in F1, announced the end of its presence in the discipline, in favor of Formula E. Today, it’s another long-standing sponsor redirecting its investments, as Santander now prefers to bet on football and the Champions League rather than Formula 1.
This is very bad news for Ferrari, whose bank has been a major supporter since 2010 and the arrival of Fernando Alonso. The presence of the brand was very important as it occupied the entire width of the drivers’ suits and their caps, not to mention a presence on the rear wing and side of the cars. The team even went so far as to change the shades of red on its bodywork to match that of its sponsor as closely as possible.
Santander arrived in the paddocks in 2007 as a supporter of McLaren, which at the time welcomed Fernando Alonso. The team maintained ties with the English subsidiary of the bank, notably through the use of Jenson Button’s image for its promotional campaigns, but the logo was no longer present on the cars, and the agreement should therefore also end at the same time as the Briton’s contract with the Woking team. The helmet the Briton will use in Super GT next year still seems to carry the bank’s logo.
The brand had also chosen to directly associate with F1 by becoming the title sponsor of the British Grand Prix (from 2007 to 2014) and the Spanish Grand Prix (2011 to 2013), its two most important markets. Today, it has decided to reallocate its budget to the Champions League, whose popularity is particularly significant in Latin America.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
