The Spanish Grand Prix (GP), of motor racing’s iconic Formula 1 (F1) series, has announced domestic bank Santander as a founding partner ahead of its debut season.
As a founding partner of the Spanish GP in Madrid, Santander will gain a prominent presence at the Madring circuit starting from its inaugural weekend from September 11 to 13, 2026.
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It will also support official content and activations and will be able to offer its customers and fans an exclusive experience at the event.
The multi-year agreement builds on Santander’s presence in the elite series, having already secured official partner deals with F1 and the Williams Racing team last year.
The bank has a long association with F1, having first sponsored the series back in 2006, sponsoring both individual races and competing teams such as Ferrari and McLaren.
Juan Manuel Cendoya, vice chair of Santander Spain, said: “Madrid is such a vibrant, thriving city, and the bank wants to support this world-class event and offer our customers unique experiences as we do at the Grands Prix in our core markets, which generate significant economic impact for the host cities.
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By GlobalData“Spain is one of those markets, with two races scheduled for next year.”
The announcement comes as race organizers, Ifema Madrid, prepare to stage their first Grand Prix after signing a deal with F1 to host the race in the Spanish capital from 2026 until at least 2035.
The Spanish Grand Prix replaces Italy’s iconic Imola track on the 24-race 2026 calendar.
In the run-up to its debut, Ifema Madrid has looked to consolidate the race’s commercial partners, most recently adding Spanish soccer club Atletico Madrid as a local event supporter for the next five years.
That deal sees the club’s Metropolitano stadium act as a logistical and hospitality hub during the race weekend, featuring fan zones and live performances.
The Madring circuit, built around the Ifema Madrid exhibition center close to the city’s airport, is 5.47 kilometres in length, and will, for F1 purposes, feature 20 corners, a “premium paddock building with a new race tower and office spaces,” as well as VIP hospitality and entertainment areas.
The venue is projected to be able to host over 110,000 fans each day across its various ticketed areas, while F1 has said plans are in place to grow that figure, over time, to 140,000 daily. This would make the Madrid circuit one of the highest-capacity circuits on the F1 calendar.
F1 has claimed that the race is expected to generate €450 million ($489.7 million) for the Madrid economy each year and that the hosting proposal from Ifema “received widespread support from national, regional, and local government.”
Madrid, being the largest commercial hub in the country, is likely seen as a more profitable location for the series by its promoters, which will in turn help to secure the long-term viability of F1 racing in Spain.
The popularity of the sport in the country has blossomed over recent decades, owing to the presence of Spanish drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz on the grid.
Meanwhile, F1’s other Spanish-based Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is reportedly on the cusp of renewing its contract with F1, despite fears it would be dropped with the arrival of the Madrid race.
The circuit has played host to the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991, but its current hosting contract is due to expire after the 2026 edition, leading to speculation that Barcelona would lose its place on the F1 calendar to Madrid.
However, it is now being reported in Spanish media that F1 will stay in Barcelona until 2032, with races only taking place every second year while sharing a calendar spot with the Belgian GP in Spa-Francorchamps.
Under the deal, the renamed Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix will pay around €28 million per year to host the races, in line with the price increase imposed by series promoter Liberty Media.
Last January, the Belgian GP secured an agreement to stage four races in alternate years across six seasons in 2026, 2027, 2029, and 2031, which lines up with the three seasons that Barcelona will host.
The F1 calendar is likely to see changes in the future as the series tries to accommodate eager hosts while limited to 24 Grands Prix per season. Only last week, F1 announced it would swap out Zandvoort in the Netherlands for Portugal’s Portimao for two years in 2027 and 2028.
