It’s been a week of challenges for Kimi Antonelli. It started in Canada when the Mercedes ace showed expertise beyond his years to fend off a double McLaren challenge and snatch his first-ever Formula One podium finish. But then, just days after the Montreal masterpiece, the teenager was sitting his exams.
The Italian jetted straight off from the Canadian Grand Prix and returned to his native country in order to sit the first part of his Maturita – Italy’s A-Level equivalent. Joking after he took third spot in Montreal, Antonelli said: “I can’t show up hungover. I can’t afford to party, my mum would get mad if I don’t show up well-rested for the exam.”
Mum certainly was watching out with a beady eye, with Veronica having told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I’ll prepare him pasta with ragu – his favourite dish. Racing isn’t everything and I’ve always wanted him to finish his studies.”
Such is Antonelli’s reputation already as a Formula One ace, in a strange twist for a typical teen, the driver’s exam performance was actually subject to plenty of media attention. Commenting after the test, Antonelli explained: “I did the best I could. Now I just have to wait for the results. I was pretty nervous because I didn’t have much time to prepare… This marks the end of my school chapter, and now I can focus entirely on racing.”
It will be music to the ears of Toto Wolff and Mercedes, given the talent Antonelli has shown during his rookie Formula One year. Despite two retirements and an 18th-place finish in Monaco, Antonelli sits seventh in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
On the back of his win in Canada, he added: “I had a good start. I managed to jump into P3 and I just stayed up there at the front. The last stint, I pushed a bit too hard behind Max and I killed a bit of the front left tyre and then I struggled a bit at the end. So, I’m really happy to bring the podium home for the team.
“We saw it last year in Canada. I would love to get our hopes up, but I think the strength of our car is in the cooler conditions, so let’s see in the coming races.
“But, yeah, we will enjoy this for now. Time will tell. We won Austria last year so maybe that’s a good omen. We did have high expectations coming into this weekend and it worked out as we thought.”