Max Verstappen joked about the possibility of giving up his seat at Red Bull Racing in the future to Robin Raikkonen, the new member of the team’s young driver program. The Finn, son of the former driver and 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen, is only eleven years old and currently competes in European Karting.
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Robin’s entry into the Red Bull Junior Team was announced last week. Verstappen revealed that he already knew about the agreement before the public confirmation and even spoke with Kimi and the young driver during the Italian GP weekend in Monza.
“I met them before the race on Sunday. They were sitting up there, so I quickly talked to Kimi and Robin,” Verstappen said. The Red Bull driver added that it was nice to meet them and that he already knew Robin had been signed when he had the conversation with the family.
Red Bull’s young driver program has already brought several members to the F1 grid, including Verstappen himself, Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson. Robin’s arrival continues this trajectory, although the Finn is still in the early stages of his career.
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When asked about the possibility of still competing when Robin is ready to fight for a seat in F1, Verstappen played along with the question: “Yes, who knows. Maybe, maybe not. I think eventually they will also need a seat for him in the team. So, yes, maybe I will make room,” he replied laughing.
The statement came just days after Verstappen signed a contract extension with Red Bull. The new deal keeps the four-time F1 world champion with the Milton Keynes team until the end of 2030, ending speculation about a possible retirement or move to Mercedes or McLaren.
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