Formula One champions Red Bull have teamed up with Nissan’s Infiniti brand in a deal reversing the recent exodus of Japanese manufacturers from the sport.
The two-year marketing agreement announced yesterday will see Infiniti’s branding on the front, side and rear of the Red Bull car as well as the overalls of German world champion Sebastian Vettel and Australian Mark Webber.
Although no financial details were given, the deal is likely to cover at least the team’s annual engine costs of about 8 million euros (US$11.03 million) and probably much more, given their status as champions.
Infiniti senior vice president Andy Palmer said it was the biggest sponsorship activity that Nissan Group had ever done, while Red Bull principal Christian Horner hailed a “very important and strategic partnership.”
“As manufacturers have been leaving in their droves over the last few years, for a Japanese manufacturer to be coming back in is I think great news,” Horner said. “Maybe it will encourage more to follow ... I think their [Infiniti’s] approach is the right one in that they’ve not come and said they want to own and run a team. They have decided to partner a team.”
Malaysian-owned Lotus Group have done something similar with former champions Renault, who are no longer owned by Renault, while Virgin have secured significant backing from Russian sports car maker Marussia.
Palmer said Infiniti would work with Renault, who own 43.4 percent of Nissan, while Nissan own 15 percent of the French company, on future F1 technical collaboration in areas such as Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) and battery technology.
Red Bull’s engines will retain the Renault name on them rather than being “re-badged,” however.
“We haven’t come back in a very traditional way, we’ve not gone and bought a team,” Palmer said of the first F1 involvement by a Japanese automotive brand since the departure of Honda in 2008, Toyota in 2009 and tire maker Bridgestone at the end of last year. “First and foremost, it’s a marketing partnership, then hopefully we are confident it will lead to some technical collaboration, particularly in areas where Infiniti and the Nissan group have some strengths.”
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