After weeks of speculation, Aston Martin has announced that it will become title sponsor and innovation partner of Red Bull Racing in 2018. The deal – which will see the Formula one outfit compete as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing – further strengthens a successful relationship that has already produced the sold-out Valkyrie hyper car.
The partnership between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing began in 2016 after the companies’ combined cutting edge F1 technologies, and the next step will be producing future products, as well as the development of a new advanced performance center that will open on the Red Bull Racing campus in Milton Keynes later this year.
The British luxury OEM will also evaluate the opportunity to be involved in the team’s power unit from 2021 after being asked by the FIA to join discussions on future engines for F1.
“Title partnership is the next logical step for our innovation partnership with Red Bull Racing. We are enjoying the global brand awareness that a revitalized Formula One provides,” commented Andy Palmer, Aston Martin CEO. “The power unit discussions are of interest to us but only if the circumstances are right. We are not about to enter an engine war with no restrictions in cost or dynamometer hours but we believe that if the FIA can create the right environment we would be interested in getting involved.”
The new advanced performance center, which will create 110 new jobs, will also house Aston Martin’s second dedicated design center and engineering personnel who will be working on future sports cars. The project will allow a closer working relationship between the two leading brands in their respective fields.
“Our innovation partnership with Aston Martin has been a pioneering project from day one,” said Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing. “Having conceived and created the remarkably successful Valkyrie together in 2016, we extended our relationship this year and are now delighted to further strengthen the Partnership and see the team competing as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing in 2018”.
