Infiniti’s relationship with Red Bull doesn’t only extend to the renaming of the Formula One champions into Infiniti Red Bull Racing. Technology from Infiniti and Nissan’s cars is also finding its way onto the grid, while Nissan engineers have also been spending time with the F1 team to better understand areas such as aerodynamics.
Infiniti Red Bull Racing has already been working with the Japanese car maker on areas such as battery technology – used in the F1 cars’ KERS energy recovery and boost system. But the latest technology that will find its way onto the F1 cars is Infiniti’s scratch shield paint.
Scratch shield - which is already available on Infiniti EX and FX models - uses special resins within the paint that enable it to heal itself of minor scratches and blemishes, giving a longer lasting and shinier finish.
According to Infiniti boss Andy Palmer, it could give the F1 team a crucial advantage on the racetrack.
“The tiniest things make a difference in F1,” Palmer told Auto Express, “So having a paint that could aid aerodynamic efficiency by being a slippery as possible could provide a benefit.”
Although Infiniti Red Bull Racing cars won’t feature Scratch Shield paint at the season opening Formula One race in Melbourne, it’s possible that it will be used on the cars later in the year.
