After the conclusion of the 2021 F1 season, Kimi Raikkonen decided to retire from the sport. Raikkonen left behind a legacy of being one of F1’s best-ever drivers, and to this date, remains the last Ferrari driver to win a world championship. Raikkonen mainly decided to focus on his family post-retirement. For this, he decided to relocate to Italy, so that he can support his son Robin’s motorsports career, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Kimi’s son Robin Raikkonen has been making waves in the junior circuit with his performances. The eight-year-old races for CRG KART, a team known for having Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen, etcetera in their ranks previously.
First laps on the board for Robin Raikkonen! ❤️
🎥 x Kimi’s Instagram pic.twitter.com/MUHjsI6ylM
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 15, 2019
A young Raikkonen signed up to race for CRG KART and has attracted a lot of attention for this. Admittedly, Raikkonen never forced his children to take up racing. However, the fact that young Robin is so talented, makes Kimi want to invest time and money into his future.
Kimi Raikkonen moved to Italy for his son’s future
Because of the famous Raikkonen surname, expectations are high from young Kevin despite him just venturing into the world of racing. Earlier this year, he already grabbed the headlines, when he took podium finishes in an event where drivers were older than him.
Seeing the impressive skills of his son, Raikkonen driver decided to move to Como, Italy from their home in Switzerland. This is because he wants his son to be closer to the karting facilities in Northern Italy.
Talking about this, he described the place to La Gazzetta dello Sport as, a “logistically perfect area to reach most of the international kart tracks in northern Italy.” Notably, this can be regarded as an important move for Robin to kick-start his motorsports career.
How has Robin Raikkonen fared in Karting so far?
Robin Raikkonen has grabbed a lot eyeballs and Red Bull’s academy has already been eyeing him for a lot of time. As a result, the Austrian team signed him up in their young driver’s program.
It is the same institution that saw current and three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen grow among their ranks. Along with signing for Red Bull Academy, young Robin was also battling for the lead in the RMC Micro Max Karting race.
All in all, the decision to relocate by his father is surely going to benefit the young Finnish star. The move will see him have the benefit of living 150 kilometers from the Lonato del Garda track. This is a well-known and top-notch venue for karting.
