Kimi Antonelli balances F1 debut and exams – and invites his whole class to his first home Grand Prix
A Formula 1 debut with Mercedes, school exams at a technical institute, and a home race buzzing with excitement – life is moving fast for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who this weekend will race his first Grand Prix on Italian soil. And he won’t be alone – the young driver from Bologna has invited 25 classmates and two teachers to Imola to give them a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Formula 1.
Racing in F1 and studying for exams
Antonelli is still attending school – and not just out of principle, but at his mother’s insistence. He studies at the Salvemini di Casalecchio di Reno Technical Institute in Bologna, just a few kilometers from the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where he’ll become the first Italian since Antonio Giovinazzi in 2021 to race in front of a home crowd.
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“I think it’s been a positive start,” Antonelli said about his F1 debut. “We’ve had ups and downs, but we’ve made progress every weekend.”
Intense weekends – and even more intense weeks
The young Mercedes driver says he has been especially surprised by how demanding the F1 lifestyle is – not just on the track, but off it too.
“The intensity of the weekends and the life around it has surprised me the most,” he explained, according to F1 Technical. “I’m at the factory, doing data work, attending marketing events, and constantly traveling – but I’m not complaining. It’s all been a very positive experience.”
No time for warm-ups
After six races in the pinnacle of motorsport, Antonelli has learned one thing: you need to be ready from the very first moment.
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“You have to be sharp when the weekend starts. If you take it too easy, you fall behind,” he says, adding that he treats every race weekend as a learning opportunity.
“I take nothing for granted. I try to be fully present and prepared from the start. Otherwise, there’s too much to catch up on.”
With the support of his classmates, the home crowd, and a factory just around the corner, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix won’t just be another race for Antonelli – it will be a milestone in a Formula 1 journey that’s only just beginning.
Source: F1 Technical
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