ING welcomes confirmation of Alonso and Nelsinho

As it prepares for a second season as title sponsor of the ING Renault F1 Team, ING welcomes the confirmation of Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr as race drivers for the team. Commenting on the news, ING’s Head of Group Marketing, Isabelle M. Conner said:

“With a successful first year sponsorship behind us, we’re very much looking forward to the new season and welcome Fernando and Nelson as the 2008 drivers. Their combination of talent and experience will help the resurgent ING Renault F1 Team through 2008, as ING drives its own sponsorship activity, both on and off the track”.

“We’re especially pleased to see a double world champion, in Fernando Alonso, return to help support ING’s successful activation of our three-year sponsorship.”

The 2008 season will see ING aim to build business revenues via the F1 sponsorship, by increased promotional and marketing products tied to F1, across the firm’s global banking, asset management and insurance product base.

During 2007, independent research amongst 16,000 consumers globally showed considerable increases in ING’s global brand awareness and perception through its F1 sponsorship activities. Crucially the research also showed that the consumers were 38% more likely to buy ING’s financial products because of the link with Formula 1.