[chillibowl]

is it an association issue?

RB is selling a product which for all intents and purposes is a premium energy drink so why would they want to associate themselves with a car make that is not considered premium?

STR is a bit different in that they seem to selling a 'RB lifestyle'/youthful image and i suspect driving around in a Nissan doesn't much match their dream of being 'cool'.

Infiniti made more sense but the issues between Renault and RB put an end to that.

or could it be a similar problem to the one teams had with tobacco liveries?

like cars, tobacco companies sell their products in different countries under different brand names and while certain brands were more recognizable in Country A vs Country B, F1 rules did not allow them to change their liveries for each country so they chose to opt for the more recognizable brand of the parent corporation?