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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 12: Nicholas Latifi of Canada and Williams looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 12, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 12: Nicholas Latifi of Canada and Williams looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 12, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
The start of the 2022 season has been an outright disaster for Williams Racing. As the British team languish at the bottom of the points table, team driver Nicholas Latifi’s departure was imminent. However, Williams’ team boss has to say otherwise.
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The start of the new season hasn’t exactly been the way Williams Racing would’ve wanted. As for Nicholas Latifi, it was even worse. As the performance of the Canadian driver dipped, there was a rumor of releasing Nicholas in mid-season.
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Further, renowned journalists like Joe Saward and Morris McDonald believed that the Grove-based team would replace Nicholas Latifi with young F2 driver Oscar Piastri. Despite the strong rumors, team boss Jean Todt remained in support of his Canadian driver.
Work to do today. Let's get out there and get it done 💪 pic.twitter.com/5urkwHPujz
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) March 27, 2022
Talking about this to AvD Motor and Sport Magazine, Jean conveyed, “We have a contract with both drivers and we respect these contracts. Latifi needs a little longer to get used to the new cars and we respect that. There has never been a premature driver change for us.”
Where do Williams and Nicholas Latifi stand?
The 2022 season has been a nightmare for the 26-year-old driver. In all the races Nicholas took part in, he failed to pick up a point. His form of pointless races continued as he failed to collect points in the last 15 races. 2021 Belgian Grand Prix was the last time Nicholas picked up a point when he finished in P9.
As of this year, the Williams driver finished all five races out of the top-10. With one DNF, three P16, and one P14 finish, the performance hasn’t been the way Latifi would’ve liked. It is believed that if Latifi continues to perform this way the rest of the season, the precious Williams F1 seat might be at Oscar Piastri’s disposal next season.
🟥 A THIRD RED FLAG 🟥
This time it's Nicholas Latifi stopped on the side of the track with an issue ❌ pic.twitter.com/ypWFHFvLru
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 6, 2022
However, not everything can be blamed on the Canadian driver. Williams is yet to have a car that’s as fast as their rivals Haas, Alfa Romeo, or even Aston Martin. The Grove-based team uses Mercedes engines which are believed to be the slowest among all.
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