(Motorsport) Williams Racing and Nicholas Latifi have confirmed that they will part ways after the 2022 season. The 27 year old made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2020 at the Austrian Grand Prix and has gone on to make 55 Grand Prix starts, scoring seven points in the Championship so far. The Canadian-Iranian driver has had a disappointing campaign this season, with zero points and has been outperformed by Formula 1 debutant Nyck de Vries, who replaced Alex Albon for the Italian Grand Prix.
Latifi played a big role in the result at the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season, when his crash resulted in a safety car towards the end of the race, allowing Max Verstappen to switch to soft compound tyres and overtake Lewis Hamilton to win his first World Championship. Since then, Latifi has been subjected to death threats and was forced to hire security personnel for his safety. A statement released by Williams read “After confirming Alex Albon will continue for next year and beyond, Williams Racing will announce its full 2023 driver line-up in due course.”
The Formula 1 team have been linked with Nyck de Vries for the 2023 season, however, the Dutch driver is also wanted by AlphaTauri and tested for Alpine last week. Both teams are a significant upgrade over Williams and it won’t be surprising if he chooses either of them. It would be interesting to see if Williams attempt to sign Daniel Ricciardo, who is set to leave McLaren at the end of the season. The underperforming Australian is yet to sign with another Formula 1 team and Williams could give him the perfect opportunity to rediscover his form and become the main driver at the British team.
Speaking about his departure from Williams, Latifi said “I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Williams Racing – all the people back at the factory and those I work with trackside – for the last three years. My initial F1 debut was postponed due to the pandemic but we eventually got going in Austria and, although we have not achieved the results together we hoped we would, it's still been a fantastic journey. Getting those first points in Hungary last year was a moment I'll never forget, and I will move onto the next chapter of my career with special memories of my time with this dedicated team. I know none of us will stop putting in every effort until the end of the season."
Williams boss Jost Capito said “On behalf of the whole team, I would like to say an enormous thank you to Nicholas for his three years of hard work with Williams. He is a great team player who has a great attitude towards his colleagues and work and is well liked and respected throughout the business. Our time together is now coming to an end, but I know he will put full effort in to maximise what we can do together for the remainder of this season. We wish him all the very best of luck for his future, both in and out of the cockpit."
Also read: Formula 1: AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda signs new contract until 2023
