Important changes are expected in the career of Kimi Räikkönen.

      Gino Rosato, the godfather of Robin Raikkonen and a longtime friend of the 2007 world champion, is pleased with the successes of the 11-year-old racer, who is quickly progressing while competing in junior karting competitions across various countries in Europe. Rosato believes that Raikkonen Jr. has the potential to reach Formula 1 in the future.

      “As a person, I am generally a big enthusiast, but as Robin's godfather, I perceive his successes a bit differently and can easily imagine him behind the wheel of a racing car,” Rosato told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. “Of course, I mean that he will enroll in a racing academy of one of the world championship teams. We are already working on this and are currently evaluating possible options.”

      Since Rosato and Raikkonen Sr. became friends when Kimi was racing for Ferrari, it is logical to assume that the racing academy in question is that of the team from Maranello, but Gino refused to confirm this, although he did not deny it either.

      “Let it be a surprise,” he said. “We must do what suits the boy best, not what suits his surname best. A name opens many doors, and we must ensure that those doors remain open, so we are preparing the right program and relying on the support of the right people. I hope that we will be able to share important news this year.”

      Robin's parents are very calm about all this, and Kimi looks at everything as realistically as possible. He is not one of those crazy parents who insist that their offspring is the next Senna. If Kimi sees at some point that Robin is losing interest in motorsport or is not showing high results, I don’t think he will continue with it all.

      Then it wouldn’t make much sense to continue, as every career step must be justified. But I have seen Robin driving a snowmobile, seen him on a motocross bike, seen him racing on a jet ski. He has a natural talent for speed. At the same time, he is an absolutely calm and quiet boy – but very fast and not afraid of anything at all.

      From morning till night, he thinks only about racing – Kimi doesn’t force him. Robin is like him; he doesn’t worry when interacting with the press, he just needs to be given a kart – and that’s it. So first, he needs to be placed in a racing academy, and that will help him gradually progress. The program is the same in all cases – F4, F3, F2, and Formula 1.

      At each stage, there are its obstacles, but so far, everything is going well. It must be understood that the path to the top is very difficult and long. If Robin intends to overcome it and if he shows himself really well, then he will gradually move forward. Otherwise, no one will engage in this.”