Tag: tag heuer

Red Bull Extends TAG Heuer Partnership for Two More Years

Red Bull and Tag Heuer have announced that the team will continue to run the TAG Heuer branded engines till 2019.

Towards the end of 2015 Red Bull threatened to leave F1 after struggling to find a replacement engine supplier after the poor performance of the Renault engines that previously powered the team to 4 Constructors Championships. At the beginning of the 2016 season Red Bull agreed to continue to use the Renault engines but they would be branded with the TAG Heuer name.

Since the partnership Red Bull have had a more successful 2016 and have 2nd place in the constructors championship within their grasp.

“I am very pleased to be extending our engine partnership with TAG Heuer today,” said Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner.

“TAG Heuer and Red Bull Racing are two brands which both have a passion for racing and a drive to do things differently, and this forms the basis of our partnership.

“The TAG Heuer motto of ‘Don’t Crack Under Pressure’ is something that we at Red Bull Racing live by day-to-day, so we look forward to helping TAG Heuer tell that story in the seasons ahead.”

TAG Heuer Global Sports Director, Marc Biver added: “Formula One is part of TAG Heuer’s DNA.

“Red Bull Racing is a young, dynamic and driven team, perfectly in tune with our marketing strategy.

“This extension will give us even greater visibility, with a real focus on the future. We have a lot of different projects ahead of us in 2017, projects that are both creative and exciting.

“Our motto #DontCrackUnderPressure is our guiding principle in all our actions, with the support of the Red Bull Racing team and its highly contagious enthusiasm.”

Photo credit: Red Bull Racing Formula One Team

November 25, 2016
Breaking News: Red Bull Announces Engine Supplier

Red Bull Racing has revealed that it will continue its partnership with Renault Sport Racing as power unit suppliers.

The renewed partnership will run to the end of the 2018 season and will be badged as Tag Heuer. In addition the Toro Rosso team will move away from Ferrari power units and into the Renault stable for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Team Principal, said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership which has proved very successful over time. After the reconstruction that Renault has undertaken, clear progress has been made which has made it logical to continue with the TAG Heuer badged engine.”

May 29, 2016
Red Bull Racing’s 2016 F1 Challenger – the RB12

Red Bull released the first images of its 2016 Formula One title challenger, the RB12, ahead of debuting the car on track at the opening day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The team released studio photos via its various media channels moments before the RB12 hit the track with Daniel Ricciardo at the wheel. Three-time race winner Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat will race the RB12 this year.

Following very troubled 2015 season, the team will be hoping that the TAG Heuer-badged Renault powered RB12 will have what it takes to return to its former glory once again. The team claimed four successive titles between 2010 and 2013 but quickly fell behind when the F1 introduced V6 power units in 2014. The 2015 F1 season held only two podiums for the team and saw them finishing fourth in the constructor standings.

A late decision to stick with Renault power – albeit under the guise of new Red Bull partner Tag Heuer – after approaching the three other engine suppliers looking to switch for 2016, has the team on a back foot ahead of the start of the season.

Team boss Christian Horner: “Obviously the late engine decision last year was a challenge but we found a solution in time and the whole team has worked incredibly hard to recover over the winter.

“Therefore, we’re looking to build on the significant progress we made in the second half of 2015 and to carry that momentum into the early races of this season.

“My hopes for this season are that we genuinely make progress from where we were last year; that we get our heads down and we really develop the car well and hopefully with some performance coming on the power unit side as well, that will allow us to get closer to some of our immediate rivals.”

According to chief technical officer Adrian Newey development on the RB12 was focussed around developing a cohesive package for all the parts. “I’m often asked what area of the car I’m most pleased with, but with the stable regulations we have at the moment it’s difficult to find any major new areas to exploit,” Newey said of the RB12.

“Therefore, what we’ve really tried to concentrate on with this car is getting a cohesive package for all the parts – the suspension, the chassis dynamics, aerodynamics – that they all work together in harmony.

“I think we’ve managed to build on the lessons of last year and all the indications from our simulations suggest that this year’s chassis should be strong.”

Chief engineering officer Rob Marshall hopes that the RB12 can win some races this year: “With the RB12, we are optimistic that we have made some good gains, but the difficulty is the wind tunnel and CFD numbers we’re seeing are our numbers and unless you can see everyone else’s numbers you don’t know where you are. We are happy that we are going in the right direction from our own point of view, but we won’t know until Melbourne.

“As far as this car is concerned, I hope we can win some races. That might sound farfetched after last year, where we struggled at the beginning of the year, but I hope this year we can make a bit of a step power-wise and that will level the playing field a bit.”

RB12 Photo Credits: Red Bull Racing

February 22, 2016
Red Bull Confirm Tag Heuer-Renault Power Unit for 2016

The Red Bull Racing Team have confirmed that they will be powered by a TAG Heuer Renault power unit for 2016.

The new partnership with the Swiss watch maker will see TAG Heuer branded engines supplied by Renault. The 2016 RB 12 will be christened the Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer RB12.

TAG Heuer will also become the Official Timekeeper, Official Watch Partner and Team Performance Partner of the Red Bull Racing team from 2016 in a multi-year partnership.

“TAG Heuer and Red Bull are two transcendent brands which have both a passion for racing and a drive to do things differently, and this unique collaboration is further evidence of that,” said Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner.

“TAG Heuer has been an icon in the world of Formula One for many years and we’re delighted that they’ve chosen to continue their association with the sport by teaming up with us. Our shared values of innovation and a desire to stand out from the crowd make this one of the most exciting partnerships in F1.”

Horner revealed that Ilmor will head up the engine development and alludes to the fact that Mario Illien will be driving the development going forward.

“We are also pleased to see Renault confirm its long-term commitment to F1 and would like to thank them for their contribution to the team since 2007. Their technical partnership with Ilmor gives us confidence, and we look forward to the 2016 season,” he added.

Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Watch Division, added: “Formula One is deeply-rooted in TAG Heuer’s DNA, and Red Bull Racing is a young, dynamic and driven team, which perfectly fits with our marketing strategy.

“It will give TAG Heuer great visibility and allow us to make our partnership exciting, different and innovative.

“Our motto #DontCrackUnderPressure will be the guiding principle behind all our actions with the support of the Red Bull Racing team and its highly contagious enthusiasm.”

December 4, 2015