Kimi Antonelli reveals surprise struggle while racing for Mercedes in F1

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli revealed that he was in the last year of his school and was struggling to find a date for his final exams while racing at the pinnacle of motorsport in 2025. The young Italian driver replaced Lewis Hamilton in the German team ahead of the 2025 season and has completed two races with the Brackley-based outfit.

The 18-year-old had made a name for himself in the junior categories and won every series that he raced in, apart from F2, where he finished in P6 ahead of his teammate and Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman.

While appearing on the Fast and the Curious podcast, Kimi Antonelli shed light on juggling racing in F1 with his studies and mentioned that he would sit for his final exams soon, saying:

"Yeah, 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. 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."

Antonelli further added on the importance of education and school:

"It's important as well and I've been doing so many years of school and it would be a shame just to quit on the last year of school and also my mom really cares about it so I will do it for her as well."

It would be pretty difficult for Kimi Antonelli to find time in the upcoming weeks for his studies as F1 is heading into its triple header of the season this weekend.

Kimi Antonelli reflects on his debut weekend in F1

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli stated that the Australian Grand Prix, which was his debut in F1, was "insane," given the changeable weather conditions. However, he came out of it with a good amount of confidence.

Speaking with F1.com at the Chinese Grand Prix, the Bologna-born native reflected on his P4 finish and said:

“It was a really intense weekend, and to come away with a good race [was a] good boost of confidence but also a big relief. Now I feel a lot more calm and relaxed; I’m not going to lie, I was quite stressed and a bit tense as well while driving.

“But now I feel more relaxed and more in control as well of the situations. There’s still a lot to learn, but definitely was a good start and I’m really looking forward for the next few races.”

Kimi Antonelli had a much tougher outing in Shanghai, as he could only get 10 points from the Sprint and the main race combined. He massively benefited from the double DSQ for Ferrari.