Infiniti sponsors Red Bull Racing F1 team

Infiniti sponsors Red Bull Racing F1 team

Formula 1 is more interesting this year than it has been in any of the recent five, and though that has little to do with Infiniti's tie-up with Red Bull, the new partnership may yet spawn something even more interesting, and more relevant to those of us in the U.S., who won't get to witness F1 action on our own soil again until 2012 at the earliest. The item of interest? A Red Bull-flavored Infiniti.

Timed to coincide with the running of Infiniti's two-year contract with the F1 team, the high performance Red Bull/Infiniti car could be on sale within 24 months, according to a report from Whatcar?, quoting Infiniti's motorsports development head Simon Sproule.

That's a very short time frame, especially if the car is to be an entirely new model--indicating, possibly, that the groundwork for the car was laid before the deal with Red Bull was struck. The time window still leaves plenty of room for Red Bull Racing's engineers to tweak and tune the car.

Infiniti sponsors Red Bull Racing F1 team

Infiniti sponsors Red Bull Racing F1 team

Whether it will be a series production car, however, remains to be seen--Sproule referred to it only as a "road car project." The last word is the loaded one, and could yet see little more than a concept or technology showcase as its result. Sproule added that any car chosen to use as the basis for the collaboration (indicating it won't be a wholly new car at all) would have to be re-homologated before it could see sales. That's a pricey proposition for a performance car destined for very low-volume sales.

We'll keep you abreast of the developments and hints as the rumor mill grinds away at the topic. In the mean time, you can check out our F1 coverage here, or take a look at some of Infiniti's other future plans here.

[Whatcar?]

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