Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has made a strong start to his 2025 season alongside George Russell. But things aren’t as smooth sailing for the 18-year-old who is struggling outside of his motorsport commitments. In a recent interview with The Fast and the Curious podcast, the young Italian has admitted he’s struggling with his final exams.
“I have the last year of the school. I have final exams. So I’m trying at the moment to fit a date where I can do it, which is pretty difficult at the moment,” Antonelli explained.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Antonelli, as Formula 1 heads into a triple header, beginning with the Japanese Grand Prix and followed by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Like any other F1 driver, Antonelli isn’t going to quit.
“It would be a shame just to, you know, quit on the last year of school. And also, my mum cares about it, so I will do it for her as well,” he said.
“I’m getting a lot of help from the school, I’m not going to lie, they’re sending me stuff over but it’s a big commitment.”
When asked about what subjects he’s finding particularly difficult, he admitted maths wasn’t a strongpoint.
“It’s a terrible thing; I’m not going to lie; it’s something I have to do but it’s a difficult subject.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
The teenager, who turned 18 in August of last year, has replaced Lewis Hamilton at the Brackley outfit. Team chief Toto Wolff has immense confidence in him, and his performance so far proves that this confidence was well placed. Despite a challenging qualifying session in Australia where he placed 16th on the grid, he finished fourth behind Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and team-mate George Russell.
He followed this with another impressive campaign in China where he finished sixth while also being voted driver of the day by fans.
It’s fair to say the pressure on the driver is considerable, but so far he’s taking it in his stride.
“Well, I don’t really have a lot of expectations, to be honest,” he said on his first F1 season. “What I’m really going to do is trying to focus on the process, try to enjoy as well.
“But definitely something I really want to do is start with a good rhythm and try to build from it and try to be consistent. Of course, the mindset is always going to be the same, so trying to go on track and win and do the best job as possible.”
Leave feedback about this