Robin Raikkonen driver profile: the 11 year old Red Bull junior
Robin Raikkonen is the 11 year old son of 2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, and in September 2026 he became one of the youngest drivers Red Bull has ever taken into its junior programme. He joins the Red Bull Junior Team in 2027.
Robin Raikkonen: fast facts
- Full name: Robin Raikkonen
- Born: 2015
- Nationality: Finnish
- Discipline: Karting
- Junior programme: Red Bull Junior Team, from 2027
- Announced: 9 September 2026
- 2026 season: Rotax Max Challenge Italia, currently second in the standings
- Father: Kimi Raikkonen, 2007 world champion, 21 grand prix wins
A karting record built at national and international level
Robin has been racing karts for several seasons and has won at both national and international level. His 2026 campaign is centred on the Rotax Max Challenge Italia, where he is second in the championship.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies described him as “one of the most promising young drivers in his age group” on the day the signing was announced, citing “his speed, racecraft and natural talent” alongside “his maturity, his calm approach and his clear focus on driving”.
Signed by Red Bull for 2027
The Raikkonen family were guests of Red Bull at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September 2026, where Kimi was photographed with Mekies in the garage and Robin sat in one of the cars. The signing was confirmed a few days later.
He enters a programme that has changed. Helmut Marko, who ran the Red Bull Junior Team for decades on a produce or leave basis, has stepped away, and Gwen Lagrue now leads it. “Our goal is to develop him step by step, without placing any unnecessary pressure on his shoulders,” Mekies said.
Kimi’s response set the tone from the family’s side. “It is thus with great humility that Robin joins this illustrious programme,” he said, “and he will dedicate all his efforts to warrant the trust that Red Bull is placing in him.”
What comes next
Robin will not be eligible for car racing for several years, so his development runs through karting first. Red Bull’s junior alumni include Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Arvid Lindblad, but the list of drivers who passed through the programme without reaching Formula 1 is far longer.
Read more in our report on Red Bull signing Robin Raikkonen as a junior driver.