Uncovered: The hidden influence Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are having on junior drivers

Max Verstappen is one of many young stars to come out of the Red Bull academy.

Red Bull’s F1 Academy driver Hamda Al Qubaisi revealed that both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been providing her with tips to help improve her driving.

The Emirati is one of three Red Bull-associated drivers in the junior series and as well as the on-track support, she has been speaking of what it means to be part of Red Bull away from race day.

Red Bull junior Hamda Al Qubaisi speaks of Max Verstappen influence

For 2024, every F1 team signed up to provide a young driver for the F1 Academy season but Red Bull went above and beyond by selecting three drivers to be part of their team.

Amna Al Qubaisi, sister of Hamda, is racing for VCARB while Emely De Heus drives for the Red Bull academy – but it is Hamda Al Qubaisi who is wearing the same coloured overalls as Verstappen and Perez.

The 21-year-old, who finished third in last year’s competition, revealed Verstappen and Perez had been providing her with tips as she looks to continue up the motorsport ladder.

“I spoke to them a few times, but not in much detail,” she told PlanetF1.com. “I was able to get an opportunity to watch the race in Jeddah from the pit box so I was able to listen to the engineers and the drivers. So I learned a lot from that.

“Because the feedback that Max and Checo give to the engineers is so detailed, and it’s crazy to see. And I just feel like I learned quite a lot because then I took it with me and I need to be a bit more detailed in my feedback, it would help me with the car setup and stuff like that.

“So I did learn a lot, only from the outside already. So I can’t wait to also get into more conversation.”

The likes of Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel before him make it credible to suggest that the Red Bull academy is the best at producing young talent, making Al Qubaisi believe she is in the right place for her own development.

“Just being part of it makes me feel more motivated and I feel like I belong even more,” she said. “So I think just mentally, it’s made me a bit stronger.

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“For F1 Academy, for the season. I’ve been progressing quite well with them and it’s just the support is always there, no matter what. Bad races, good races, they’re always there to help.

“So I just feel like it’s a really good atmosphere and a good environment. And I can’t wait to continue with them as well.

“It’s been amazing. I’m very grateful for the opportunity. It’s definitely a big step in my career and in general, I just think the exposure I’ve got as well as the support has been major. I’ve never felt this much support before in my racing career.

“Just the preparation for the race weekends to the sim work and how detailed they are with everything. I learned quite a lot already and for sure, this will help me and I’ll take this all with me in my future racing.”

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