Ever since Marussia caused quite a stir at the Frankfurt Motor Show with the unveiling of their super quick – and terribly-named – supercar, the B2, the Russian supercar maker has gone off the radar, presumably to spend less time tooting its own horn and more time developing their cars.

So when word came out that Marussia has come to an agreement to become an official partner with the Virgin Racing Team in Formula One, quite a few eyebrows were raised, to say the least.

Reports have said that the Marussia and Virgin Racing have signed a partnership wherein Marussia will become a major partner of Virgin Racing and will “enjoying major car, driver and team branding.”

In addition to that, the Marussia-Virgin marriage will also allow the former to partake in a partnership with Virgin’s engine supplier, Cosworth, which will help the supercar makers with developing newer drivetrain and engine technologies for its future models.

Continued with Press Release after the jump

Continued

To commemorate this ground-breaking partnership between the three-year old supercar brand and the Formula One newbies, Marussia is hard at work developing a racing version of the B2 by using F1 technologies in electronics and aerodynamics design.

According to Marussia's President Nikolay Fomenko, the partnership between Marussia and Virgin Racing signifies a milestone between two new brands that are trying to make a name for themselves in their respective fields. "We are very proud to partner with Virgin Racing which like us is a young, innovative group of people dedicated to excellence and thinking outside the box," he said.

"Formula One is the pinnacle of motor sport and the perfect environment to constantly strive for the best. It's a way for Russian talented racers to get to F1."

PRESS RELEASE

FIRST RUSSIAN SPORTS CAR PRODUCER MARUSSIA POWERS INTO FORMULA ONE WITH VIRGIN

Marussia is delighted to announce its major partnership with Formula One's new team, Virgin Racing, which was launched by Sir Richard Branson in London today. Formula One is the perfect stage for Marussia's high performance sports cars. Created in 2007 by the company President Nikolay Fomenko and ideologist Yefim Ostrovsky, Marussia's philosophy for its cars is 'Innovation built on reliability.'

The group has seen its concept morph into reality with the launch at the Frankfurt Auto Fair in 2009 of its grand tourismo sport coupe B1 and B2. This arrival on the global stage heralded the appearance of the first Russian sports car. In a multi-year deal Marussia will be high profile in the global F1 world with Virgin Racing, enjoying major on car, driver and team branding. It also enters into a relationship with Virgin Racing's Engine partner, Cosworth. Cosworth together with Marussia will produce new-era engines, not only including diesel and petrol ones.

To reflect this dynamic partnership, Marussia is developing a racing version of its car using F1 technologies such as advanced electronics and aerodynamic design. Technology is a key word for Marussia as it develops the high performance cars of the future. Marussia's President Nikolay Fomenko said "We are very proud to partner with Virgin Racing which like us is a young, innovative group of people dedicated to excellence and thinking outside the box. Formula One is the pinnacle of motor sport and the perfect environment to constantly strive for the best. It's a way for Russian talented racers to get to F1."