Kimi Antonelli relieved after his first podium: “Canada must be a turning point”
It was a memorable week for Kimi Antonelli, who not only scored his first F1 podium in Canada, but also finished his school exams.
Kimi Antonelli was juggling between his studies and his first season in Formula 1, a balance he symbolically illustrated by taking his class to attend his very first home Grand Prix, in Imola.
A turbulent double life for the pilot
But this double life came to an end with the completion of his school exams. On this subject, Kimi Antonelli declared: « I am super happy to have completed this journey, it was important to see it through to the end. Now I can focus solely on racing, and it’s a huge relief. »
The Mercedes driver was not really able to celebrate his third place in Montreal due to his upcoming exams. He acknowledges that balancing studies and his racing career has sometimes been very complicated.
“I couldn’t even celebrate Canada because I had to go study right away afterwards,” he confided.
It is obviously not easy to juggle between studies and motorsport, especially this year with F1, because I have a lot more commitments outside of races as well. So much less time, but I am really happy to have managed to complete this stage, and now I can fully focus on racing and enjoy it.
An important podium in Canada
Despite this, Kimi Antonelli has a very strong memory of his podium at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, a moment he considers a major turning point of his season: It took me a little while to realize what had happened in Canada, says the 18-year-old.
« It was such a special moment. I remember stepping onto the podium, I got chills, especially hearing people chant my name. It was really powerful. Seeing the whole team in the pit lane, my father too… it’s an image I will keep for my entire life. It took me a little while because when something so big happens, the brain takes a moment to really comprehend it. »
A significant moment for the Italian. « Mercedes was super nice, they let me take the trophy home. I put it in the living room, and every day as I walked past, I saw it… it was special. It also helped me realize what had happened. It was a very good result, a great relief for me, and I think it must be a turning point because now I’ve proven to myself that I was capable. And once you’ve had a taste of that, you want more. »
Looking ahead to this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli expects the hierarchy to be uncertain. “It’s going to be interesting,” he believes.
We should first check the weather, which is quite unpredictable. Just today, it was crazy. I think Canada gave me a good boost, it relieved the pressure, and this weekend will be different. Different circuit, different conditions, it’s a track where Red Bull has often been strong. McLaren will surely also be in the mix, so it’s likely to be very tight, but I’m ready to give my best, he concludes.
