Verstappen jokes he may move aside at Red Bull for 11-year-old Robin Raikkonen

Max Verstappen has joked that he could eventually be forced out of his Red Bull seat by an 11-year-old, after Robin Raikkonen — son of 2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen — was officially signed by the Red Bull Junior Team this week. The young Finnish driver is currently competing in European karting.

Speaking to media ahead of the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, Verstappen revealed he had already congratulated the Raikkonen family in person, having been privately aware of the deal before it was made public.

“I met them before the race on Sunday. They were sitting upstairs, so I had a quick chat with Kimi and with Robin,” Verstappen said. “It was good. When they were around I had a little chat and I knew that he was signed already. It’s good to see.”

When it was noted that Verstappen would almost certainly have retired from Formula 1 long before Robin is ready to compete for a race seat, the four-time world champion played along with the premise. “Yeah, who knows. Maybe, maybe not. I guess eventually they also need a seat for him in the team. So then, yeah, maybe I’ll move aside.”

Red Bull’s junior programme has a well-established track record of producing top-level F1 talent. Among its graduates are Verstappen himself, Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson.

For Verstappen, the question of his own future at Red Bull was settled at the end of August, when he signed a contract extension keeping him at the Milton Keynes team until the end of 2030. The deal effectively ended months of speculation linking him with moves to Mercedes or McLaren, as well as occasional suggestions he might consider an early retirement.