Antonelli swaps podium champagne for school exams

While his Formula 1 colleagues were either attending the star-studded film premiere in New York or testing GT cars at Spa, Kimi Antonelli returned to something far more routine - high school.

Fresh off his maiden F1 podium in Montreal, the 18-year-old Italian chose to fly straight home to continue his education.

"I'll prepare him pasta with ragu - his favourite dish," Antonelli’s mother Veronica told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Racing isn't everything and I've always wanted him to finish his studies."

Antonelli joined classmates at the Gaetano Salvemini public technical and commercial high school near his hometown of Bologna to sit his final exams.

After his first written test, he told reporters he would return the next day for his English exam.

"It's the subject I do best in," Antonelli smiled. "The one I struggle with the most has always been mathematics."

His final hurdle is an oral presentation - after which he will shift his attention to the next Formula 1 race in Austria with Mercedes.

Asked whether he would prefer to achieve 100 percent at the Red Bull Ring or in his exams, Antonelli replied with a grin: "How about both?" Despite his rising status in motorsport, Antonelli credits his continued schooling to the values instilled by his mother.

"I don't care if he's a driver - my greatest pride is having raised a good boy," Veronica Antonelli said.