Fernando Alonso, Marc Márquez and Carlos Sainz conclude new sports contracts

Cuatrecasas has advised three of the most elite sportsmen in the world of motorsports: (i) F1 driver Fernando Alonso on renewing his contract with Aston Martin, enabling him to continue racing in the world championship for the next two years; (ii) Carlos Sainz on his contract as the new driver of British team Williams, following his departure from Ferrari; and (iii) MotoGP rider Marc Márquez on signing with Ducati to be with the Italian team for the next two years.

With these contracts, Cuatrecasas confirms its European leadership in sports law, particularly in the field of motorsports, a part of sports law in which it has been demonstrating its expertise and proven professional background for years. This is reflected in its world-renowned clients and advice given on complex international transactions, as was the case with Carlos Sainz, whose negotiation involved several teams.

Technical expertise, agility, security and closeness to the client are decisive factors when closing these kinds of negotiations. “The last few months have been intense in the world of motorsports, where Cuatrecasas has been fortunate to participate in most of the relevant transactions that have arisen, both in Formula 1 and MotoGP. The legal issues involved in these contracts require a multidisciplinary team of lawyers with considerable international experience and knowledge of the sector and of sport in particular. This is so that complex contracts can be managed in a very short period of time, with full guarantees for the sports person and their environment,” said Roberto Álvarez, Cuatrecasas's partner in charge of sports and training law, who advises some of today's leading sportspeople.

As an active participant in some of the most important signings and renewals on the sports scene, Cuatrecasas negotiates all kinds of M&A contracts related to the sports and sponsorship industry, participates in litigation and arbitration, and offers multidisciplinary advice to organizers of national and international sports events.

The advisory team involved in these three sports negotiations was made up of lawyers Roberto Álvarez, Marta Máñez, Bartolomé Sánchez Jurado, Laura Barandiarán, Paula Benéitez and Ignacio Hernández Pardo.