F1 partner Santander has launched a campaign in conjunction with Formula 1 to make education more accessible worldwide.

Santander became Formula 1’s official retail banking partner ahead of the F1 2025 season, as well as becoming a sponsor of the Williams team on a multi-year deal.

Santander launches education initiative as part of F1 collaboration

The Spanish bank’s deal with Williams came hot on the heels of the arrival of Carlos Sainz, who joined the Grove-based team from Ferrari at the end of last year.

Santander has previously supported Ferrari for most of Sainz’s tenure with the Italian team, sponsoring the Scuderia between 2022 and 2024.

It is not unheard of for Formula 1 to enter commercial agreements with team sponsors, with Allwyn – the leading multi-national lottery operator – joining as an official partner in February.

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That deal came 24 hours before Allwyn announced a link up with reigning Constructors’ champions McLaren.

Santander has announced that it has launched a new global campaign, the Santander Open Academy, described as ‘a global e-learning platform offering free access to world-class courses, expert-led content, and financial scholarship opportunities from top universities and institutions.’

The initiative is ‘open to anyone, anywhere’ and intends to ’empower learners at every stage of life and career in fields such as technology,
languages, business skills, financial education, among a wide range of other topics.’

Launching alongside the campaign is a free online course in high-performance leadership, co-created by 2009 World Champion, Sky F1 pundit and Williams ambassador Jenson Button and Claire Williams, the former deputy team principal of the Williams team

Ms Williams confirmed in March that she has joined Santander as an F1 ambassador, marking a surprise return to involvement in F1-related matters.

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Ellen Jones, Head of ESG at Formula 1, said: “Education is the cornerstone of Formula 1.

“It is what we’re built on as a sport and is a key part of our work to encourage people from all backgrounds to consider a future in motorsport, so it’s fantastic to see our partners like Santander, who share our values, bring education inspired by F1 to a global community.”

Rafael Hernández, global deputy head Santander Universidades, said: “Santander Open Academy exists to open doors.

“Whether you’re changing careers, returning to education, or simply looking to expand your skills, we want to make learning more accessible, and more inspiring, for everyone.

“Working with Formula 1 allows us to reach new audiences and champion the value of education on a global stage.”

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