Red Bull Secure Expanded Deal with Infiniti

After securing the Formula One constructors title on Sunday, Formula One champions Red Bull Racing announced a expansion to their partnership with Nissan’s luxury car brand Infiniti.

The deal will feature more prominent branding on the Renault-powered cars as well as new areas of technical and product collaboration.

In addition, the two companies will increase the global and market leverage of their alliance. There will also be more involvement between Infiniti/Nissan R&D engineers and the team.

Red Bull and Infiniti had originally entered into a collaboration in March earlier this year in what was a two year deal.

Team principal Christian Horner, said: “In the short time we have been involved with Infiniti it has become clear that the closer we work together the more performance advantages can be gained by both sides.  

“It has been a phenomenally successful first season to date, and deepening our partnership further provides us even more scope to share knowledge and expertise, leading to mutual benefits on the track and the road.”

Nissan executive vice-president Andy Palmer told reporters that brand awareness in the first year of the association with Red Bull, had been “tremendously successful”.

“In just seven months the results have exceeded even our most ambitious targets, leading us to becoming the most highly-exposed automotive brand in F1 this season. As we look ahead to the second year of our partnership with Red Bull racing, we are now extending into exciting new areas of technical and product collaboration.”

“We use a system of measuring seconds of TV time…and by that measure we are the most visible car manufacturer on the grid,” said Palmer.

“It looks like Infiniti will have a record year for sales so there is obviously some correlation between one and the other.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said the relationship with Infiniti – under the Renault-Nissan alliance – would make available more technology and know-how for future developments, particularly from 2014 when the engines change.

“It opens avenues of technology that previously as an independent team wouldn’t have been available to us and that obviously would to the likes of Ferrari or Mercedes or even McLaren,” he said.

Horner did not rule out the engine one day being ‘re-badged’ from Renault to Infiniti.

“Obviously in 2014, nothing is decided yet in terms of whether it will be a Renault or even an Infiniti engine,” he said.

“But it is clear it will be a Renault-Nissan alliance engine. It is something that obviously is under consideration.”