Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard believes Kimi Raikkonen is mirroring Jos Verstappen’s approach to developing Max with his own son, Robin, following the 11-year-old’s signing with the Red Bull Junior Team.
Red Bull announced earlier this month that it had signed Raikkonen to its driver development programme, starting work with the team from 2027. F1 drivers who have graduated from the Milton Keynes outfit’s junior programme include four-time champions Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Arvid Lindblad and Daniel Ricciardo.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard noted that the 2007 champion is taking a deeply hands-on approach, echoing Jos Verstappen’s involvement in Max’s journey to F1.
“He’s doing brilliantly in karting. The family have committed. They’ve moved from Switzerland to Italy to live by the kart track. He’ll be driving every day,” the former McLaren driver said.
“He is doing what Jos Verstappen did with Max. They are developing, let’s say, the perfect scenario for the most experienced young driver. One thing I’ll say, though, some of the best karters never make it in cars because it’s a different vehicle dynamic. It’s a solid chassis. There’s no suspension. It’s got a solid rear axle. When you go to a car, you have suspension, you have a differential, you have downforce.”
When asked if he sees traits in Robin similar to those he had as a young driver, Coulthard added: “Look, the kid is winning in karting. He seems like a really nice kid, because some kids you can already see there’s a bit of arrogance there.
Robin Raikkonen
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“I see all sorts of my journey around the world, and his parents are grounded. So, he’s going to be grounded. Let’s see how he is when he becomes a young man. He’s a boy right now. When he goes through puberty, that’s when things change.
“And that’s why, if we look at the comparison between boys and girls, there’s a lot of young girls in karting that are just mixing it up with the boys. No problem. Once you go through your teenage years, that’s when you find out because people change.
“Kids change, and that’s when you find out whether they’ve still got the focus and they’ve got the determination and the talent and the need for the constant pain of failure. Or hopefully not constant, but there’s more failure in motor racing than there is success.
“Lewis [Hamilton] is the most winning driver in terms of grand prix victories, but he’s done 400-odd grands prix. He’s lost 300-odd grands prix. He’s only won 100-odd. So, there’s a lot of pain there.”
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