By: INFINITI Canada
October 8 2016
Mississauga, Ontario – Earlier today, INFINITI Canada welcomed Canadian Renault Sport Formula One test driver Nicholas Latifi to its headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario for a meet-and-greet with employees, signaling a new partnership in Canada between the up-and-coming driver and the luxury brand.
Latifi, 21, was announced as a new test driver for the Renault Sport Formula One Team earlier this year after showing impressive speed during GP2 testing with DAMS and he has now embarked on a long-term development programme with Renault Sport Racing.
Nicholas spent time chatting with employees about his background, racing experiences in the GP2 series this season and obviously, his Formula One driving experiences to-date. Nicholas was also presented with the keys to a new 2016 INFINITI Q50 Red Sport 400. During the racing season breaks and his stays in Toronto, the young promising driver will be able to appreciate the 2016 Q50 Red Sport 400 and its new compact, lightweight 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine, offering 400 horse power and striking an ideal balance between drivability, efficiency, and performance.
“INFINITI Canada is absolutely thrilled to welcome Canadian Renault Sport Formula One Team test driver Nicholas Latifi to our offices here in Mississauga,” says Stephen Lester, managing director of INFINITI Canada. “Formula One has quickly become a cornerstone of INFINITI’s business strategy. As we continue to grow our presence here in the country, we are excited about having a Canadian test driver on the Renault Sport Formula One Team to represent our brand in Canada for the year ahead.”
Nicholas Latifi is well-known in the global motorsport community, having competed successfully in karts, Formula 3, Formula Renault 3.5 and this season in the GP2 Series with the team DAMS. Nicholas' budding professional racing career spans the globe, as he has competed with distinction in Canada, Italy, Great Britain, New Zealand, USA and Europe. His most recent milestone is test-driving a Renault Sport Formula One Team 2012 E20 vehicle during the Formula One Exhibition on the Circuit Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
"I want to thank the team at INFINITI Canada for providing me with such a warm welcome today. It was a pleasure spending time with each and every one of you,” says Nicholas Latifi. “I’ve dreamt of accessing Formula One for as long as I can remember, and I am extremely excited to be making my debut as a test driver this year with the Renault Sport Formula One team. It is an incredible honour to be putting Canada back on the Formula One grid after so many years.”
About the INFINITI and Renault Sport Formula One Partnership
For the 2016 season, INFINITI is a technical partner of the new Renault Sport Formula One Team. Leveraging its expertise in performance hybrids, INFINITI will contribute engineering resources for the co-development of the Renault Energy F1 Power Unit's Energy Recovery System (ERS), which incorporates two motor generator units, the MGU-H and MGU-K, and a battery.
This new and enhanced involvement strengthens the Renault Nissan Alliance and at the same time leverages the opportunities the Alliance provides by creating powerful industrial synergies for its members.
INFINITI's reputation for performance hybrid vehicles is built on the widely-acclaimed 3.5-litre hybrid engine, which is offered on the Q50 sports sedan. INFINITI's strong expertise will be used by the Renault Sport Formula One Team in Viry-Châtillon as a team of INFINITI hybrid specialists move from INFINITI's technical center in Atsugi, Japan, to France to support development of the Renault Energy power unit. At the same time, INFINITI will use the experience from the F1 ERS system to further enhance its hybrid powertrains for road cars.
About INFINITI
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in over 50 countries. The INFINITI brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom and China. INFINITI plans to also expand manufacturing into Mexico by 2017.
INFINITI design studios are located in Atsugi-Shi near Yokohama, London, San Diego and Beijing. INFINITI is in the middle of a major product offensive. The brand has been widely acclaimed for its daring design and innovative driver-assistance technologies.
From the 2016 season, INFINITI is a technical partner of the Renault Sport Formula One Team, contributing its expertise in hybrid performance.
More information about INFINITI, its Total Ownership Experience® and its industry leading technologies can be found at INFINITI.ca.
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