Infiniti to Back F1 Race Team

Special Coverage

Geneva
Auto Show

GENEVA – Nissan’s Infiniti upscale brand says it will sponsor Red Bull’s Formula 1 team, meaning it not only gets its name on the nose and spoiler of the race car but can invite its dealers and customers to races and the factory in Milton Keynes, U.K.

“We were looking for something to get better known around the world,” Andreas Sigl, who negotiated the connection, says at the auto show here.

Golf and sailing are crowded with luxury marks and wannabes, he says, and racing itself would be too expensive, but Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn agreed the 2-year sponsorship deal was a good idea.

In addition to the obvious benefits, Sigl says, Infiniti would like to engage with Red Bull on the technical side, offering its experience in batteries and hybrid drive that will enter Formula 1 in 2013.