Nicholas Latifi is fighting to keep his Formula 1 cockpit at Williams – The Canadian is calling for his performances to be factored into the decision only from Silverstone onwards
Nicholas Latifi is under scrutiny at Williams, which is why the Canadian is on the back foot in Formula 1. However, the Canadian is demanding a fair assessment of his performance, which is why he sees all the races before the British Grand Prix as less relevant. Reason: Williams only changed the chassis at Silverstone.
Despite this, the statistics don’t look good for Latifi. Former Red Bull driver Alexander Albon, who switched to Williams from the DTM after a break in the premier class, leads 11:2 in qualifying and 10:3 in the race in the team-internal duel. Albon has also scored all three of the team’s World Championship points. The Briton with Thai roots finished in the top 10 twice – in Melbourne and Miami.
While Albon is capable of making pinpricks, Latifi seems to be struggling with the new generation of Formula 1 cars. However, his chassis was only replaced at Silverstone and he has also improved his performance recently with new upgrades. In Great Britain, the Canadian even surprisingly made it into Q3.
A difference like heaven and hell
This is also the reason why the 27-year-old is demanding Williams to leave out the irrelevant results when deciding drivers. Latifi is not yet set for the 2023 Formula One season at the traditional racing team, while Albon has signed a multi-year contract.
“I feel much more comfortable now and I know I can get more out of the car and myself on race weekends because the performance is now exactly where it should be. That’s why I think I deserve to stay in Formula 1.”
“That was not the case at the beginning of the year,” he clarifies. “I made my point that you can’t deny the past races, but because the performance has changed, the team can evaluate me properly from now on.” However, he says Latifi is handling the pressure on his shoulders well, which is why he is ready to prove his worth.
Silverstone was the turning point
The Canadian also insists he made “no progress” in the Williams until the chassis was changed at the British Grand Prix. This, he says, “cost him in motivation” at his home race in Canada. “I left Montreal frustrated and confused. There was just no clear path for improvement.
Then came the change to the car at Silverstone to check the technical component and the result was clear: “The performance was there,” Latifi said. “It’s not one hundred per cent proven that there was something wrong with the chassis, but I’m 99.9 per cent sure there was something wrong – maybe also in combination with the parts I used. “
“I didn’t change anything myself at Silverstone, that’s a fact,” he reports. “I was just demoralised after Montreal and didn’t have the chance to really feel the car. Since Silverstone it’s been uphill.” Twelfth place in Britain was Latifi’s best result of the season so far. That was followed by two retirements and 18th in Hungary.
The end of the line is not yet reached
“The pace wasn’t competitive yet, but at least I feel what the car is doing now,” said Latifi. “I feel comfortable in the car when I drive at the limit now. That is the biggest difference. In Austria, with the upgrades, I was where I needed to be in both qualifying and the race. It was the same at Paul Ricard. “
But who could replace Latifi in the 2023 Formula One season should he not get the nod? After Oscar Piastri’s cancellation at Alpine, the youngster was linked to Williams. However, Piastri will most likely replace Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren, which is why Williams is still looking at who will start alongside Albon.
“All I can do now is concentrate,” said Latifi. “It doesn’t help me to think about the worst-case scenario. In this sport there are always rumours and a lot of things you don’t have control over as a driver because everything also depends on the performance of other drivers. I just focus on my performance and show the team what I can do. “
