Ferrari to Ink Santander Deal at Monza

With the Italian Grand Prix at Monza approaching by the day, the rumors regarding a future deal between Ferrari and Spanish bank Santander start making the headlines more often. According to the latest media report coming from Spanish newspaper Marca, the Maranello based team is to announce a multi-year contract with the banking giant during the 2009 Italian GP.

Although the report doesn't mention the period of time for which the agreement will be signed, it is believed Santander's partnership with Ferrari will last until Fernando Alonso's contract with the prancing horse will end (probably around 2014).

Earlier this year, several rumors also suggested that Ferrari will officially announce Fernando Alonso as their new race driver for 2010 at Monza. However, the news was strongly dismissed by both the Maranello representatives and Fernando Alonso. The aforementioned publication revealed the announcement will take place after the season finale at Abu Dhabi.

Santander is currently in the middle of a sponsoring deal with McLaren Mercedes, but they decided not to renew their deal from 2010 onwards. The reason they inked a deal with the Woking based team in the first place was Fernando Alonso's driving for Mercedes, which ended after only one year.

Alonso is currently sponsored by Santander's subsidiary Universia, while the Spanish group's boss Emilio Botin has more than once admitted his admiration for his countryman. All this information clearly suggests that Ferrari's confirming Alonso for the upcoming season is only a question of when, rather than if.