The
name's Red Bull, Aston Martin Red Bull from 2018
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[September 25, 2017]
By Alan Baldwin
LONDON (Reuters) - Aston Martin will
become Red Bull's Formula One title partner next season in a move
that will raise the British marque's track profile against
commercial sportscar rivals Ferrari and McLaren.
The former world champions will be known officially as Aston Martin
Red Bull Racing.
"Title partnership is the next logical step for our innovation
partnership with Red Bull Racing," Aston Martin president and chief
executive Andy Palmer said in a statement on Monday.
"We are enjoying the global brand awareness that a revitalised
Formula One provides."
Red Bull and Aston Martin, the glamorous 104-year-old marque whose
road cars have become associated with fictional British secret agent
James Bond, have an existing technical relationship.
Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, whose cars won four successive
drivers' and constructors' titles between 2010-13, has been heavily
involved in Aston Martin's Valkyrie "hypercar" which will be
delivered to customers in 2019.
The team, whose cars currently carry some Aston Martin branding, are
powered by Renault engines branded as Tag Heuer. Australian Daniel
Ricciardo and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen are the current drivers.
The sport's engine regulations are changing after 2020, with calls
for a simpler and cheaper power unit than the current 1.6 liter V6
turbo hybrid and that could be of interest to Aston Martin.
"We are not about to enter an engine war with no restrictions in
cost or dynamometer (testing) hours but we believe that if the FIA
can create the right environment we would be interested in getting
involved," Palmer said.
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The display model of a AM-RB 001 ahead of the 2017 Canadian
International Autoshow where Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing reveal
the $3 million Aston Martin AM-RB 001 hypercar in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Power
Both parties are to set up a new advanced performance center at the
team's Milton Keynes factory in central England, working on road car
and Formula One technology.
Red Bull said 110 new jobs would be created, with the center housing
Aston Martin design and engineering staff working on future sports
cars from the two companies.
The team's previous title partner from 2013 to 2015 was Nissan-owned
luxury car brand Infiniti, now with Renault.
Aston Martin is owned mainly by Kuwaiti and Italian investors, with
Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler holding a five percent stake, and is
seeking to boost its share of U.S. markets.
It reported its first half-yearly profit in almost a decade last
month and expects full-year volumes to rise by around a third to
roughly 5,000 cars.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
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