Sebastian Vettel appointed Infiniti’s Director of Performance

Formula 1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, has just been appointed Infiniti’s Director of Performance. The new was announced by Nissan’s luxury arm at the New York Auto Show.

The appointment of the three times World Champion shouldn’t come as a surprise as Infiniti is a major sponsor of Vettel’s team, Red Bull Racing. Infiniti says Vettel has already played a significant role in the development of the new Infiniti Q50 sedan.

“Sebastian’s talent and ability behind the wheel is unquestionable and his role in developing Infiniti vehicles has already proven invaluable. How many premium automotive brands can honestly say its vehicles have been developed alongside a triple World Champion?” said Infiniti’s President, Johan de Nysschen.

Vettel provided Infiniti’s engineers with valuable feedback during the development of the Q50 sedan in areas of performance, chassis dynamics and handling. When asked about the deepening ties with the Japanese company, Vettel said:

“I am really happy to extend my relationship with Infiniti and become their Director of Performance. 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 One car. I am looking forward to working closely with Infiniti in developing more of their road cars into the future.”

The new Infiniti Q50 will launch in the third quarter of 2013 in Australia.