Red Bull Racing cuts Infiniti ties after Tag Heuer deal

Formula One team Red Bull Racing has confirmed its title sponsorship deal with Infiniti, the premium car brand of Japanese automotive manufacturer Nissan, will cease at the end of this year.

The motor racing team has been officially known as Infiniti Red Bull Racing under a title sponsorship deal that commenced in 2013. Infiniti, which is part of an alliance between Nissan and French automotive manufacturer Renault, has partnered the team since 2011.

However, further to Friday’s announcement that Red Bull Racing has partnered with luxury watch brand Tag Heuer for the naming rights of the team’s power unit for the 2016 season, the team has said its commercial partnership with Infiniti will conclude at the end of 2015.

Red Bull and Renault have reached an agreement that will see the French manufacturer continue to supply the team with engines for the 2016 F1 season, and Red Bull has confirmed this new agreement does not cover any marketing activity for the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

During their commercial partnership from 2011 to 2015, Infiniti and the team enjoyed huge success on the track, winning three drivers' and three constructors' championships, taking 35 grands prix wins, 37 pole positions and 80 podiums in total.

Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, said: “They became the title sponsor of the team in 2013 where Infiniti enjoyed greater visibility than any other manufacturer in the sport.”

The multi-year agreement with Tag Heuer names the Swiss firm the official timekeeper, official watch partner and team performance partner of the team and will begin ahead of the 2016 campaign.

Tag Heuer will be granted naming rights to Red Bull’s new power unit, which will be supplied by Renault. The new car will be named the Red Bull Racing-Tag Heuer RB12.