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No longer will you see the Infiniti logo sponsored on the Red Bull Racing Formula One car. That title sponsorship deal has concluded, but a new one has formed, one that makes complete sense for Infiniti and Formula One's Renault Sport team, both part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

“We talk the same language and can collaborate on many different projects,” said Tommaso Volpe, Global Motorsport Director, Infiniti Motor Company.

That collaboration is mostly found through the global exposure of the brand, as well as the transfer of immediate information between the Formula One car and the road cars throughout the alliance. That feedback is imperative, as the Formula One findings are an extension of Renault-Nissan's research and development team.

All of the above mentioned efforts are essential, but the alliance has gone beyond to work together on a project called the Infiniti Engineering Academy. The academy – soon to enter its third year – execute a global university and college search for the best young, aspirational engineers. Students that are currently enrolled as an engineering student compete to win their spot in one of seven specific regions: China, Europe, United Arab Emirates, Asia and Oceania, Mexico, the United States and Canada – for the first time.

If you win your region after going through technical skill evaluations, practical challenges and a final event, you will be flown to the United Kingdom for a year to split equal internship time with Infiniti for six months and the Renault Sport Formula One team for the other six.

One of the 2015 winners, Daniel Sanham was on hand in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend and spoke about his year with the Renault-Nissan Alliance to a group of engineering students at McGill University.

“The Infiniti Engineering Academy has been a challenging and rewarding experience, and I was delighted to share my story with Canadian students,” said Sanham. “It is my hope everyone who was at the event realizes they have nothing to lose and everything to gain from the Infiniti Engineering Academy – the work placement of a lifetime - they should all go for it!”

The support for Sanham and the Infiniti Engineering Academy was strong as the program was championed by Jerome Stoll, President at Renault Sport racing and Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal.

Both Stoll and Vasseur spoke about the need to attract younger engineers into the Renault Sport fold.

“We have 494 people working for us and we want that to grow that to 650,” said Vasseur. “Technology is moving so fast and we need to attract younger engineers. The combination of experience and new activation and motivation will be a big help.”

Montreal was Sanham's first live Formula One experience and he soaked in the moment to chat with McGill students, journalists, the Infiniti brass and the Renault Sport Formula One team. Since his placement has began, he has been surprised by how close the Infiniti team and the Renault Sport team are with one another and how open everyone is: “You can even bounce ideas and opinions with the veterans.”

And if Sanham was overwhelmed by the Formula One paddock, he's in for another treat as the Renault-Nissan Alliance is setting him up with another once in a lifetime moment to work with the Nissan team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans starting June 18.

Sanham will take off his Formula One hat where he's been working on electrical components to focus on a race that's all about endurance.

Sanham's journey shows that one's dream can truly become reality and he's hoping once this year has concluded he can land a full-time gig somewhere within the alliance. And there's history working in his favour as students coming from the inaugural academy have found jobs from the program: one was hired by Red Bull Racing and another at the Infiniti Tech Centre.

Applications for the Canadian final for the Infiniti Engineering Academy will close on June 30 and you can go to: https://academy.infiniti.com for more information. The winner of the Canadian region will be chosen the last week of July.

The Renault name has been synonymous with Formula One since 1977. It has had its glory years in the mid-2000s with back-to-back driver championship from Fernando Alonso, but most recently the Renault name has lurked in the background as an engine supplier.

Things changed this February for the fourth largest automotive group in the world when they completed its takeover of the Lotus F1 team to once again become part of the constructors' championship. The Renault name is nothing new to the grid, but the people leading the way have changed and appear to have their act together with a three-to-five year plan in the works straight from the top, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn.

At the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, I was able to spend some time with a few of the top brass from the Renault Sport Formula One team including President at Renault Sport Jerome Stoll, Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur and Canadian test driver Nicolas Latifi.

Renault Sport might have had to make a quick decision ahead of Lotus' insolvency, but the plan according to Stoll took a while and had many people involved in that decision.

“The decision to come back to Formula One as a manufacturer was not an easy one,” said Stoll. “We felt it was right for Carlos [Ghosn] to make that announcement, because the project was not just to come back to racing; it was to develop awareness for the brand and use different marketing tools to attract more road customers.”

Being competitive and eventually winning is the No. 1 goal for the Renault Sport team, but they also want to tap into the information received from testing and racing and transfer it back to regular road cars for all of its brands that include Nissan and Infiniti in Canada. Additionally, making the engine more compact is essential to the Nissan-Renault group for the reduction of emissions, as well as changing the minds of customers that you can have a 1.6-litre engine with plenty of power. 

“This year is a transitional year for us,” adds Vasseur. “As our leader Ghosn says, the plan is to be competing for a podium in three years and then fighting for the top spot in five years time.”

Many teams talk about success with little backing behind those words. For Renault, it may seem strange given the fact that the team has scored six points from six races in 2016, however, the team is committed to this cause and not financially strapped like others on the grid. They have the full backing of its fearsome leader Ghosn, along with Stoll and Vasseur.

That leads us to Vasseur. The name may be new to the Formula One grid, but it's a household name in France and in the world of racing after 10 years of building his ART racing team. Perhaps the perfect individual to lead this young crop of drivers that include Denmark's Kevin Magnussen, UK's Jolyon Palmer, as well as a young core of test drivers that has a sprinkle of Canadian content in 20-year old Nicolas Latifi.

If anyone can get this group up to speed, it would be Vasseur, a man who developed the talents of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean, to name a few. All of those drivers came up through ART in Formula3, GP2 and GP3. According to Vasseur, 60 per cent of the grid came through ART at some point.

Currently competing in GP2, Latifi is still wet behind the ears, but is chomping at the bit to get into Renault's new Formula One car. He has a future test planned later this year, but for now his only ride experience has been in a 2012 iteration at Silverstone. Right now, it's all about the learning process and getting acclimated with the team mostly through observation and simulation.

Winning at GP2 is Latifi's focus right now, but he's soaking in the atmosphere at the Canadian Grand Prix and picking the brains of Vasseur, Magnussen and Palmer will go a long way in becoming the first Canadian on a Formula One grid since Jacques Villeneuve in 2006.

The Renault Sport team has a little of old and a little of new, but still a long way to go in terms of being competitive. One thing is for certain though, they have a clear vision in mind to not only gain knowledge for the track, but also for the street. The message is clear and distinct from the top down without any wavering whether it's from Ghosn, Stoll or Vasseur.

Now, we just have to play the wait-and-see game to see if Renault can be as successful on the track as they are at  the dealerships.

Formula One is considered one of the wealthiest sports to be a part of, whether you're a team owner, driver, or fan. However, there are certain special occasions, where getting back in the Formula One field can be on the cheap.

Just before the Christmas break, Renault successfully got back into Formula One by reacquiring 90 per cent of the Lotus team for a measly £1. It sounds great for a headliner, but there's a little more to it.

Less than a year ago, the Lotus racing team were said to be in debt up to $200 million and Renault swooped in to pay off a $4 million tax bill. The debt never went away, so under this new agreement, Renault will take control of Lotus' debt.

Renault purchased 90 per cent stake in the company with a deal through its majority shareholders Genii Capital and Gravity Motorsports. Those two companies have retained the final 10 per cent stake in the team. In order for this deal to take place, Genii Capital had to first purchase the six million-plus shares from Whiterock Alliance Ltd.

Renault first owned the Lotus team back in 2000 after acquiring it from Benetton. Eventually, Renault got away from the Formula One game and transferred ownership to Genii Capital in 2009.

Grigny, a subsidiary of Renault is the actual company that hold all the shares, but the team will be under the Renault name.

Plans for what will happen next should occur in the new year.