Infiniti Broadens Involvement with Formula One Racing

Infiniti, Nissan’s brand of luxury vehicles has announced that it will be broadening its involvement with the world of Formula One racing. In the 2016 racing season, Infiniti will be using its expertise in performance hybrids in its role as the technical partner of the new Renault Sport Formula One team. The company’s engineering team will contribute to the Renault Energy F1 Power Unit’s Energy Recovery System (ERS), which comprises the MGU-H and MGU-K generator units and a battery.

This new partnership will add another dimension to the Renault Nissan Alliance and help both partners to benefit from powerful industrial synergies.

Infiniti has considerable expertise in the field of performance hybrid engines and built the highly popular 3.5-liter hybrid engine. This engine has been used in the Q70 sedan, which was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest accelerating full-hybrid car. The same engine and energy recovery system is used in the Q50 sports sedan. Infiniti will be moving a team of hybrid engine specialists from the company’s technical center in Atsugi, Japan to Viry-Châtillon in order to cater to the needs of the Renault Sport Formula One team and support the development of the Renault Energy power unit. The arrangement will be mutually beneficial for both parties as Infiniti will use the knowledge gained through the development of the F1 ERS system to further enhance its hybrid powertrains for road models.

Infiniti’s involvement with Formula One goes back to 2011 as partner of the Red Bull Racing team. It eventually became the title sponsor of the teamin 2013. The technical cooperation with the Renault Sports Formula One team takes Infiniti’s involvement with Formula One racing to the next level.

“At Infiniti, motorsport is an important part of our business strategy,” said Roland Krueger, President Infiniti Motor Company. “Forming a technical collaboration and enabling technology transfer road-to-track and track-to-road is the logical next step. The establishment of the Renault Sport Formula One Team by our Alliance partner Renault provides us with an ideal opportunity to enter this next phase of our long-term motorsport strategy.”