Red Bull and Infiniti end F1 partnership

And finally, as the money moves around in F1 for 2016, Red Bull has replaced Infiniti as the headline sponsor for 2016 by stealing Tag Heur from McLaren, after McLaren’s woeful 2015 season, in a deal said to be for multiple years. Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO Renault, said that though it will take time to be competitive for the season that will commence in Australia in March 2016, Renault aims to get back to winning ways at the earliest. As far as I know, Genii and Renault had agreed terms around mid-October and the French had started paying debts to former drivers, to suppliers and technical partners even before that, so there was no doubt, from either side, the deal was going to happen.

But it makes sense as Renault is re-entering F1 with the takeover of the Lotus team.

Puma has been active in Formula One since 1999, working with a number of teams including Ferrari. “The deal is off”, told an Enstone veteran, “Bernie is mad and won’t sign a deal now”, another one explained.

Red Bull, who won four successive world drivers’ and constructors’ titles with Renault engines, tried and failed to secure an alternative engine for next year and have ended up with a compromise instead.

Infiniti, part of the Renault-Nissan alliance, have been with Red Bull since 2011 and title sponsors since 2013. “He does it on behalf of Renault in Viry-Chatillon”.

“Three years is too long, Formula One is dying and Renault needs to be competitive before then”, said Briatore, who was forced to resign from the ING Renault F1 team in 2009 due to his involvement in race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. It would not be a shock to see Infiniti branding on the Renault team cars to keep the company’s presence in the sport.