Between the Formula 1 podium and class tests: How Andrea Kimi Antonelli makes his mother proud and why school is more important to him than many people think
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is currently enjoying an extremely successful month. Not only did he achieve the first podium finish of his Formula 1 career at the Canadian Grand Prix, but he also passed an important final exam at the same time. The young Mercedes driver is continuing his education undeterred despite the pressures of motorsport.
His class teacher is now speaking with great pride about her extraordinary student. Alessandra Regina, class coordinator at the Salvemini di Casalecchio di Reno technical institute near Bologna, has words of praise for Antonelli: “Although Kimi Antonelli has always been heavily involved in sport, he has never lost sight of school. Nor has he lost sight of his goal of passing his final exams,” she told the ANSA news agency.
Antonelli has taken over from seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season and is driving alongside George Russell – with considerable success so far. Mercedes is currently second in the constructors’ championship behind McLaren and overtook Ferrari after their weak weekend in Canada. Antonelli is currently seventh in the drivers’ standings, just 16 points behind Hamilton, after finishing third behind Max Verstappen and winner Russell in the race in Montreal.
“We are very happy and proud that Kimi is taking his final exams alongside his classmates,” Regina continues. “He is a very modest young man and his classmates are fully behind him.”
Antonelli is fully committed to his studies. Despite his racing commitments, he regularly contacts her to ask questions or comes straight to class after returning from the paddock to catch up on schoolwork and take tests: “When he was away at the Grands Prix, he would call or text me to ask something. Or he would come straight from the airport to school to have something explained to him before taking a test. He really deserves to take his final exams. And with flying colors.“
For Antonelli, however, this is not just a personal matter—he also wants to persevere for his mother’s sake: ”I get a lot of support from the school, I have to say. They send me materials. But it’s a big commitment,“ he explains in the podcast The Fast and the Curious. ”I often say that I don’t really want to do all this. But when I think about it, it’s important. I’ve been in school for so many years, it would be a shame to give up just before the end. And besides, it means a lot to my mother. I’m also doing it for her.“
His teacher recalls a particularly touching moment between her and the young racing driver: ”He once said something very nice: ‘I’m looking forward to going back to school – and I’m also happy for my classmates.’ There’s a wonderful relationship between him and the other young people. And they’re great because they support him so much.“
At the Grand Prix in Imola, Antonelli even invited his school class to the paddock and organized several activities for them there. ”It’s a good way to maintain the relationship,“ he said at the time. ”I’m rarely at home, so I hardly ever see them.”
