Max Verstappen was trained by his father and former F1 driver, Jos Verstappen, and has now become a three-time champion. The current generation of young drivers look up to the Dutchman as their inspiration, including Kimi Raikkonen’s son, Robin. The Iceman’s son made his intentions clear of becoming the next Verstappen.
Raikkonen was spotted at the Italian GP with his family. The last Ferrari world champion met with Gino Rosato, a member of Scuderia’s management team. Rosato also uploaded a picture on his Instagram featuring Raikkonen and his family, along with Verstappen.
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The caption read, “Seeing Little Ace @robinacematias with his eyes wide open! Kids goal is clear, to be like @maxverstappen1 and dad @kimimatiasraikkonen! Already a little rocket !! Long road ahead but @f1 here we come !!”
Rosato made Raikkonen Jr.’s intentions clear in his post, as the young karter met with his idol, Verstappen. Rosato is also a good friend of Raikkonen and the godfather of his son Robin.
The Finnish driver’s son made his professional karting debut last year with CRG Karts, a team known for upbringing talents like Hamilton and Verstappen. The Raikkonen family moved to Italy for easy access to the international karting event.
In a little time, Raikkonen Jr. made a name for himself as he raced against drivers 3-4 years older than him. Nonetheless, he was a consistent frontrunner with multiple podiums and wins to his name.
Raikkonen shares parent concerns as son’s karting career takes off
In earlier interviews, Raikkonen was asked if any of his kids would join the racing world. The Finnish driver made it clear that he would never force any of his kids to do so, but eventually, Robin showed great interest and skill in karting, which led to his professional karting debut.
Nonetheless, being a parent, Raikkonen is concerned about his son, knowing the danger involved in motorsport. According to GPblog, he said, “The fact that our son is now going to go-karting does not help that of course. I know all the dangers involved, but you don’t see them as a child. Only now do I understand my parents’ concerns in the past, which are terrible; I now do it myself.”
Although Kimi Antonelli is referred to as the next Verstappen — with Raikkonen’s guidance, genes, and hard work — Robin could become a karting and racing prodigy to look out for.
