Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted he is concerned about the mounting pressure on driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, following the Italian’s impressive start to the season.
“What happens when Kimi makes his first mistakes? That is what worries me. Kimi is young, charismatic, already a small big star… but after such a brilliant start, difficult moments may come. I don’t want public opinion to suddenly say: ‘Oh, what’s happening? Maybe we were wrong about him?’
This will all be part of the growth process, and as a team we are ready for it. However, the reaction from the public, especially in Italy, scares us a little. We all want Kimi to become one of the great Formula 1 drivers, but this is only the beginning. He should be treated as a raw diamond. Both the media, the fans, and even us inside the team must make an effort to maintain this balance,” Wolff said, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
