Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton showed their class at the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday, taking time out of their busy schedules to take photos and engage with Kimi Raikkonen’s children as the legendary Finn made his long-awaited return to the paddock.

Raikkonen retired from the sport at the end of the 2021 season following an iconic career that produced a World Championship, 21 wins and over a century of pole positions. However, unlike many of his fellow alumni, the 44-year-old has not been spotted in the paddock since then.

That changed in Monza on Saturday though. The former McLaren and Ferrari star was present in the paddock with his wife Minttu and his children, Robin and Rianna. Such is the benefit of being a former world champion, they were able to interact with the biggest names of the sport today.

Kimi Raikkonen made his return to the F1 paddock in Monza (Image: Getty)

In a series of photos posted to Instagram and other social media platforms, Robin and Rianna were able to meet the likes of Hamilton, Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. They were even spotted leaving the Red Bull motorhome during Ted Kravitz’s notebook segment on Sky Sports F1.

The kids wandered out of the Red Bull motorhome with signed caps and had their pictures taken with the reigning world champion Verstappen. They also made a visit to the Mercedes garage, taking snaps with Hamilton, while Robin was even pictured behind the wheel of Hamilton’s W15.

Robin Raikkonen even got to sit in a Mercedes F1 car (Image: @mintturaikkonen)

It is possible that one day Raikkonen’s son may follow in his father’s footsteps and make his way onto the F1 grid. The young Finn has been making waves in his blossoming karting career, and in 2023 the family moved to Italy to support Robin in his next steps.

Raikkonen Jnr is currently a member of the CRG KART team, for whom Hamilton, Verstappen, and Nico Rosberg previously raced. With that sort of pedigree behind him, it is clear to see that some of his father’s racing talent has transferred to his son.

Unfortunately, contrary to some speculation, Raikkonen Snr’s presence in the Sauber garage was not a sign that he was considering a return to F1 with his former team. Instead, the 44-year-old was present with the Hinwil-based team due to an ongoing partnership with Singha, who sponsors the squad.

Instead, Mattia Binotto looks to be deciding between Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto as he closes in on finalising his 2025 driver line-up. The latter did himself no harm in Monza on Saturday, coming from last on the grid to win the Formula Two feature race.