Aware that Kimi Antonelli's winning streak cannot continue, Toto Wolff fears for how the Italian teenager will deal with the reaction when it ends.

Always - at least publicly - a glass half empty man - indeed, his cracked, half empty glass sits on a poorly assembled Ikea table which is being approached by an epileptic, blind, three-legged dog - Toto Wolff knows that sooner or later Antonelli's run will come to an end. The Austrian is concerned not so much how the teenager will deal with it, but how he will deal with the reaction from fans, and the media, particularly in Italy.

"Kimi is doing an exceptional job at the start of this season," he tells Gazzetta dello Sport. "It's only his second year in F1, and he's won three races in a row.

"He deserves all the recognition he's receiving," he continues, "but at the same time, we need to maintain a sense of proportion.

"F1 is based on consistency, not just on individual moments of success, and Kimi needs the space to grow and write his own story without too much pressure," he warns.

In Miami, Antonelli made F1 history by becoming the first driver to convert his first three pole positions into his first three wins, and heads to Canada leading the championship by 20 points.

Despite the youngster's dream start to the season, which must surely have totally demoralised his teammate, it is inevitable that sooner or later there will be a mistake, if only due to the intense pressure he finds himself subjected to, and it is the reaction to this that worries Wolff.

"That's exactly what scares me," admits the Austrian. "Kimi is young, he's charismatic, a little big star, but after a great start, he could have some bad moments, and I don't want the public to start saying, 'Oh, what's happening? Were we wrong about him?'

"It will all be part of the growth process," he continues, "we, as a team, are ready for, but the response from the public, especially in Italy, scares us a little.

"We all want Kimi to become one of the greats of F1, but it's only the beginning, and we have to treat him like a rough diamond. The media, the fans, and even us at the team have to make this effort."