Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to shine this weekend in front of his home crowd for the first time. The rising Italian star, born and raised in Bologna, will be racing in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. He will not be short of support – not only from the ecstatic Italian fans, but also from a small army of friends and family who have come to cheer Antonelli on. He has even invited his classmates for a weekend at Imola.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Kimi Antonelli looked ahead to his first Formula 1 weekend in his home country of Italy. Later this year, he will also race in the Grand Prix at Monza, another home race for the 18-year-old Italian. For now, he is focused on Imola, the setting for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – a circuit that, after adventures in Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and America, suddenly feels very close to home.
‘I’m just sleeping at home’
“I’m sleeping in my own bedroom, at home with my family,” Antonelli revealed. “On Friday, I’ll be coming straight from my parents’ house in Bologna. So, I’ll be sleeping in my own bed before I head to the circuit. Who’s coming to cheer me on? All my family, my best friends, and even my classmates,” he responded when asked. “Since I always have to miss the school trips, I thought I might treat them to a weekend at the circuit.”
Antonelli is balancing his debut year in Formula 1 with his final year of high school. As a result, he is busy studying off the track – an exciting period, even for a driver who regularly has to perform on the world’s biggest motorsport stage. However, the latter seems to come easier to him, as he recently demonstrated with his first sprint pole in Miami. “Am I nervous?” Antonelli concluded. “Yes, but mostly for my final exams.”
