Red Bull rookie spies Max Verstappen opportunity after Christian Horner axe

Isack Hadjar agreed that Laurent Mekies' promotion to Red Bull is "useful" for his own hopes to partner Max Verstappen next season. 

The French-Algerian has impressed during his debut F1 campaign for Racing Bulls, putting him in contention for Yuki Tsunoda's seat at Red Bull. 

Much has changed within the Red Bull family since the British Grand Prix, with Mekies having replaced the axed Christian Horner as team principal and CEO of the Austrian outfit. 

Mekies led Racing Bulls for 18 months, and has overseen Hadjar's progress across the first half of the season. 

The 48-year-old's role in the sister team has been filled by Alan Permane, who had been the squad's sporting director. It is a big change for Racing Bulls, but one Hadjar insists does not impact him.

"Yeah, I mean major, but to be fair, it doesn't really change much for me at the moment, at the minute" Hadjar told select media, including RacingNews365, discussing the senior changes at Red Bull and Racing Bulls. 

"Alan is someone I know really well, we've worked [together]. Obviously, it was always quiet, and you don't see him often, but he is a big part of the team. 

"I think he's the one next to my race engineer, the one I've worked with the most. It's the guy who takes the final decision on car setup, and, yeah, he's been very close to Laurent. 

"Laurent has built something very solid over the last two years, and now he's [Permane] just taking it. So, yeah, it doesn't change anything to the team and to my approach."

Mekies' move to Red Bull has led to questions over whether it boosts Hadjar's own chances of a promotion at the end of the campaign.

Asked by RacingNews365 if Mekies' switch boosts his own promotion chances, Hadjar answered: "I can't lie, it's useful. We'll see, 12 more races. So, yeah, I need to keep pushing. 

"You're as good as your last race all the time."