WATCH: Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli hoarded by Italian press after completing his exams

Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old rookie F1 driver, was mobbed by Italian media in Bologna, where he appeared for his final year exams on Wednesday, June 18. Antonelli rushed to his hometown to appear in his high school exams just days after his first F1 podium at the Canadian GP.

Antonelli had the most memorable outing of his Formula 1 career in Montreal last week. Since his debut earlier this year, the rookie has produced promising results, including a P4 finish in his debut race in Australia.

Meanwhile, on June 15 in Canada, Antonelli had the perfect race start as he jumped Oscar Piastri to grab P3 at turn 1 and went on to cross the checkered flag in the same position to achieve his career's first podium. Not only that, the 18-year-old became the third-youngest podium winner in F1's history.

However, days after the big win, Kimi Antonelli rushed to his hometown, Bologna, in Italy, as he had to appear for his final year exams. He is enrolled in Salvemini di Casalecchio di Reno Technical Institute. After Antonelli walked out of his exam hall, the Italian press mobbed him.

As per La Repubblica, the Mercedes driver talked about his exams and said:

"It went well! It wasn't easy; I tried to do my best, and now I'm waiting for the result. I was quite nervous for today because I didn't have much time to prepare, but I have to say that I did my best, and I think it went pretty well."

The academic grind doesn't stop for Antonelli as he still has an English test coming up this week. Moreover, once the rookie concludes his academic duties, he will rush to Austria for the upcoming Grand Prix scheduled on June 29.

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Kimi Antonelli elated after first podium win

Kimi Antonelli with George Russell at the F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Source: Getty

Kimi Antonelli finished P3 in the Canadian Grand Prix to register his first podium victory of the season. In a post-race interview, the Mercedes rookie expressed his happiness and revealed that he struggled with his tires on the last stint.

“It was so stressful but [I’m] super happy. At the start I managed to jump into P3, and I just stayed up there at the front. On the last stint I pushed a bit too hard behind Max, and I killed the front left a bit. I struggled at the end but am really happy to bring the podium home," Antonelli said via Formula 1.

After the race, Kimi Antonelli was noted for safety car infringements along with many other drivers. However, the Mercedes rookie was let off the hook with a warning. His teammate, George Russell, also retained his victory as the FIA squashed a protest of a safety car violation filed by Red Bull Racing.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale