Q50 Eau Rouge drives Eau Rouge corner

The Q50 Eau Rouge has got on the Spa-Francorchamps race circuit, where it drove round the signature high-speed corner Eau Rouge from which it took its name.

Getting behind the wheel of the high-performance prototype super-saloon from Infiniti was Sebastian Vettel, four time Formula One Drivers’ Champion with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, and director of performance for the marque.

Vettel got to race the car against US professional race driver Parker Kligerman as well as Pan Xiaoting, a Nine-Ball World Champion snooker player.

He had been involved in the development of the prototype, which was first revealed in Detroit in January at the North American International Auto Show. Then in April it was shown off at the Beijing Auto Show.

As is typical of the Spa circuit, the weather was fickle throughout the test run of the Q50 Eau Rouge and the track faced some heavy rain. However, this didn’t stop Vettel from finding some positive points to the vehicle.

Vettel said: “Even though it was difficult to get a proper feel for the car’s performance due to the wet track, the engineering team have made definite improvements to the car in the areas of steering and suspension since I first drove it earlier in the year.

“There is no shortage of power from the Q50 Eau Rouge.”

He explained that the day was fun and interesting and that he had felt privileged to test the Q50 Eau Rouge on one of the corners famed for being one of the most demanding in the world.

Powering the Q50 Eau Rouge is an aluminium and magnesium twin-turbo, 24-valve, 3.8-litre V6 engine that has already gained fame among fans of sports cars.

Thanks to its engine mapping from Infiniti, air intake and exhaust and aerodynamic body work inspired by Formula One, the car can see power levels of up to 560 hp while its engine torque is measured at around 600 Nm.

The next question is whether or not the Q50 Eau Rouge should be put into production, a point that Infiniti are currently evaluating.

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