WILLIAMS HAVE ANNOUNCED Nicholas Latifi will leave the British Formula One team at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old Canadian, who was subjected to death threats and hired security protection following his crash at last season’s Abu Dhabi finale which led to a late safety car and denied Lewis Hamilton a record eighth world championship, exits the grid after three years with Williams.
Latifi has failed to score a point this year, and was outclassed by debutant Nyck de Vries who stood in for Alex Albon at the recent Italian Grand Prix.
“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,” said Latifi.
“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.
So, I’m parting ways with @WilliamsRacing at the end of the year.
— Nicholas Latifi (@NicholasLatifi) September 23, 2022
Honoured to have represented them for the last 3 years. A massive thanks to the whole team – it’s been an incredible journey and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.
Determined to end 2022 positively. 6 races left! pic.twitter.com/gN5xWsUUH2
“Getting those first points in Hungary last year was a moment I’ll never forget, and I will move on to 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.”
Dutchman De Vries, 27, is under consideration to replace Latifi, while the team’s American academy driver Logan Sargeant, 21, is another contender.
Williams, who have already confirmed Albon will be retained for 2023, said they will announce their full line-up for next season in “due course”.
Not really a surprise. He never drove a good car but he was consistently slower than his teammate. Should give indycar a go
@Nicholas Ryan: I doubt he’d cut it there either to be honest. Sports cars would be more forgiving to him. He’s not actually a terrible driver just clearly not a top level driver.
@Alan Lynch: He’s an F2 runner up so there is some talent there. With his financial connections I’d say a few will be happy to have him in the midfield.
I think that De Vries will have his sights set on a more competitive team such as Alpine or AlphaTauri, if unsuccessful there Williams would still be a good seat to have.