Sebastian Vettel Named Infiniti’s Director of Performance, Director of Teamwork Position Still Open [2013 New York Auto Show]

Today at the New York auto show, Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen named Sebastian Vettel as Director of Performance for the Infiniti brand. Vettel, lead driver for Infiniti Red Bull Racing and three-time Formula 1 champ, already has been helping Infiniti imbue its models with more performance (starting with the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition and more recently with the new 2014 Q50 sedan). Vettel's input on the development of the Q50 was said to be significant, as he spent time with engineers in Japan to develop the sedan's chassis dynamics, performance, and handling. Infiniti is seeking any and all ways to maximize its $250-million deal with Red Bull Racing, and Vettel is the most obvious way to do so. We speculated just a month ago that Infiniti might put a Red Bull Racing badge on an IPL or other Infiniti car, and naming Vettel as head of performance is possibly a step in that direction. Photos and Info: 2014 Infiniti Q50 Instrumented Test: 2013 Infiniti JX35/QX60 Future IPL Performance Models to be Developed with Red Bull Racing "I am really happy to extend my extend my relationship with Infiniti and become its Director of Performance" said Vettel. "Helping to develop the Infiniti Q50 was a very different type of driving duty for me but I approached it in exactly the same way as I do my Formula 1 car. I am looking forward to working closely with Infiniti in developing more of its road cars in the future." Clearly this move was well underway before the events of this past weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, although you have to wonder if Seb will be a more cooperative Director of Performance than he is a Formula 1 teammate. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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