UNCOVERED: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s Hidden Influence on Junior Drivers.

Red Bull’s F1 Academy driver Hamda Al Qubaisi revealed that both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had given her driving advice to help her develop.

The Emirati is one of three Red Bull-associated drivers in the junior series, and in addition to on-track support, she has spoken about what it means to be a member of Red Bull outside of racing.

Red Bull junior Hamda Al Qubaisi speaks of Max Verstappen influence

Every F1 team signed up to provide a young driver for the 2024 F1 Academy season, but Red Bull went above and beyond, picking three racers to join their team. Amna Al Qubaisi, Hamda’s sister, races for VCARB, while Emely De Heus drives for the Red Bull academy; nonetheless, Hamda Al Qubaisi is wearing the same overalls as Verstappen and Perez.

The 21-year-old, who finished third in last year’s tournament, stated Verstappen and Perez had been giving her advice as she seeks to advance up the motorsports 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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