McLaren would like to keep Santander as a sponsor!

McLaren reportedly has in mind to retain its sponsorship contract with Santander in 2010 while the Spanish banking giant is set to commit to Scuderia Ferrari. Santander announced as part of the preparations for the Italian Grand Prix that it was committing to Ferrari for a five-year sponsorship contract. An agreement that could be linked to Fernando Alonso’s arrival with the Reds.

Although the idea of Ferrari has been around for some time, discussions reportedly continued with McLaren about extending its current agreement, especially since the bank has experienced enormous success through its association with Lewis Hamilton.

It is understood that this agreement is now close to being confirmed, with an announcement expected next week or even today on the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix. Santander’s director, Emilio Botin, refused to comment on McLaren’s situation when asked about the chances of this agreement during the announcement of the contract with Ferrari: « Today, we are here to talk about Ferrari, » he stated on Thursday. « From 2010 and for five years, Santander will collaborate with the Reds. »

McLaren also declined to comment on the status of negotiations with Santander.