Defending Formula One world champions Red Bull Racing have confirmed what the team described as a ‘marketing agreement’ with Infiniti, the Japanese luxury automotive brand. The deal will cover the 2011 and 2012 and will be a sponsorship deal rather than an agreement to re-badge the team’s Renault engines, as had been widely predicted in recent days.
The team said: ‘Leveraging the co-operative power of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, a unique relationship has been created with Red Bull Racing, focused on high-profile marketing and Formula One technical activities’. Infiniti logos will feature on the rear of the cars’ rear wings as well as on the race kit of world champion Sebastian Vettel and his teammate Mark Webber.
Infiniti, which has previously supplied and badged engines in the Indycar series, is owned by Nissan, which, since 1999, has had a complex shareholding - Renault owns 44 per cent of Nissan and Nissan owns 15 per cent of Renault - and technical alliance with Renault.
The Infiniti brand is most active in the USA but is increasingly focused on newer markets such as India, where Formula One will debut in 2011.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Red Bull has always taken a different approach, so when the Infiniti executives outlined their innovative plan to us we were very open to working with them.”
Though initially a sponsorship deal, the agreement is a boost for Formula One in Japan, following the withdrawal of Honda and Toyota over the past two years.
Andy Palmer, senior-vice president of Infiniti, said: “Over the mid-term, Infiniti will be simultaneously expanding its global presence and broadening its product range. Given these twin ambitions, it is clear Formula One offers us an unrivalled global communications platform, complementing Infiniti’s ethos of ‘inspired performance’. We are excited to have the opportunity to enter Formula One together with a world-class team like Red Bull Racing Renault.”
Infiniti’s first Grand Prix as a partner of the team will be in Melbourne on Sunday 27th March.
Source: SportsPro
