F1 champion's 'unbroken run' of success despite challenges

File photo of Sebastian Vettel, four-time F1 world champion. [Provided to China Daily]

Infiniti is ready to continue wowing F1 fans this year after it became the title and vehicle performance partner of the Red Bull Racing in 2013.

"Our new, increased partnership with Infiniti Red Bull Racing is a key milestone for Infiniti and a clear indication of our commitment to building the brand globally," said Johan de Nysschen, president of Infiniti Motor Co., Ltd.

"The deeper involvement, which now sees us truly integrated as one team, will bring significant benefits to our people, processes and technology. We go into the 2014 season and beyond with a shared objective to deliver world-leading performance on the track and the road."

The race team's chief technical officer Adrian Newey said, "F1 presents immense design and engineering challenges on a daily basis. Having a committed technical partner like Infiniti gives us a great platform for working together on technical projects, such as the Energy Recovery Systems for the 2014 season."

Sebastian Vettel won the Constructors Championship for the Infiniti Red Bull Racing for the fourth consecutive year when he finished the 2013 season by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The racing team is offering the adrenalin fix for fans despite challenges like fierce competition as well as technical and sporting changes starting in the 2014 season.

Among others, drivers are only able to use five engines over the course of a season in 2014, down from eight in 2013.

And the penalty system has been overhauled in 2014 so as to improve driving standards, with the introduction of a "penalty points" system for driving offences.

Nevertheless, the racing team is optimistic about its performance due to a number of advantages.

One is that it has young yet experienced drivers. Vettel is the sport's youngest four-time world champion and the team's newest recruit Daniel Ricciardo competes in the 2014 season.

Born in 1989 in Australia, Ricciardo joined the team in 2013 after two seasons with Toro Rosso as the dominant driver in an under-performing car. He made his F1 debut mid-season in 2011 and joined Red Bull as a test driver in 2010.

Another weapon of the team to charge ahead on the F1 circuit is the RB10 that Adrian Newey designed for Infiniti Red Bull Racing to compete in the 2014 season.

"The RB10 surprised us in Australia by being more competitive than we thought in the dry and the wet, so let's see what the next two races bring," said Ricciardo when completing the Melbourne prix.

Equipped with a new 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged engine, the car delivers thrilling performance with substantial cuts in fuel consumption thanks to its enhanced aerodynamic shape and energy recovery system.

Infiniti, together with the Infiniti Red Bull Racing, also announced to initiate a F1 intern employment program on March 26.

The Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy program is open to final year engineering undergraduates from 11 countries and regions including China, Britain, US and German as well as China's Hong Kong. Three successful applicants will work on a 12-month engineering assignment with full pay at Infiniti Red Bull Racing's base in Milton Keynes, Britain.

Infiniti Global Director of Formula One Andreas Sigl said: "We'll be looking for candidates who can really demonstrate they understand the potential of crossover between Formula One and road car technologies, and those we think can help bring us further success on both the track and the road."