Red Bull set to sign Kimi Raikkonen's son Robin to junior programme after Monza visit

The Raikkonen family was spotted heading into the Red Bull motorhome at Monza during last weekend's Italian Grand Prix. Ahead of Sunday's race, Kimi could be seen chatting with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies inside the garage, while Robin, nicknamed 'Ace', was even pictured sitting in Max Verstappen's car. Far from being a discreet visit, it was Red Bull's own social media team that captured and shared the moment, openly fuelling speculation about the junior deal.

The connection is strengthened by Gino Rosato, Robin's godfather and a longtime friend of the family, who recently joined Red Bull as a consultant. A highly respected paddock figure, Rosato spent almost three decades at Ferrari. He had already told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat that academy discussions were underway.

Rosato stressed that the family is taking a measured approach. "Kimi is very realistic," he explained. "He won't be the crazy parent who says my son is the next Senna."

Robin is still in the karting stage of his racing career and remains several years away from stepping into single-seater competition. He has, however, already shown significant promise.

He won the Swiss Rotax Max Challenge championship in the Micro Max category in 2024, and this season he has taken wins at Wackersdorf, Cremona, and Franciacorta, and currently leads the overall Rotax Max Challenge standings in the Mini category.

Red Bull's junior programme has one of the strongest track records in Formula 1, with seven current grid drivers having spent time within the system.

The programme was led by Helmut Marko until his retirement at the end of last year, with Gwen Lagrue having since taken over after arriving from Mercedes. Should Robin's deal be confirmed, the Raikkonen name will once again be linked to an F1 team's operation.