Red Bull has announced a major new marketing partnership with Infiniti, the premium brand of Japanese car giant Nissan, for 2011 and 2012.
Nissan are part-owned by Renault, who will continue to provide the team with engines throughout the lifetime of the deal. The engines will still be branded with the name of the French car company, contrary to reports on the BBC website (and others) yesterday.
As part of this new agreement, Infiniti branding will have a high-profile on the car, drivers clothing and team kit and equipment, and the company will also work with Renault to ‘forge future technical collaborations’ with Red Bull. It is thought that the team will receive a large boost to their racing budget through this agreement.
“Over the mid-term, Infiniti will be simultaneously expanding its global presence and broadening its product range,” said Andy Palmer, senior vice-president at Infiniti, as he explained why this partnership was important for the company. “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.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner welcomed Infiniti to the fold: “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. Coming off the back of our 2010 Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships, we feel even more excited to be starting the 2011 season with a new and committed partner like Infiniti.”
