F1: Nicholas Latifi To Leave Williams Team At The End Of 2022 Season

Nicholas Latifi will be leaving the Williams F1 team at the end of the 2022 season. The Canadian driver joined the team in 2020 and also brought the financial backing of the Sofina group, which is headed by his father Michael Latifi, but now at the end of this year, the relationship is ending. It has been widely reported that the Canadian would lose his spot in F1 and will likely not get a seat in F1 next year. 

Since joining the team in 2020, Latifi was consistently outperformed by Geroge Russell who graduated to Mercedes earlier this year partnering 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. This year Russell was replaced with Alex Albon who also has had the number on Latifi. The final nail in the coffin seems to have happened the last year at Monza when Albon was replaced by stand-in Nyck De Vries because of an appendix issue. De Vries had a sterling race and finished in the points and was rated driver of the day. 

“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,” said Latifi. 

The former F2 champion and Formula E champion is now expected to be taking the spot the Latifi will vacate. Latifi was an attractive option for Williams in 2020 thanks to the financial backing he brought as the team under the Wiliams family had financial struggles. In 2020, eventually, the team was sold to US-based private equity firm Dorilton Captial which has removed the need for a driver that comes with significant financial benefits. 

Williams for its part will announce the 2023 line-up in time. It has numerous options apart from De Vries as well. Mick Schumacher is slated to lose his spot at Haas who could join in case the deal with De Vries fizzles out for some reason and as of now, 8-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo is also without a drive next year after McLaren ended his contract prematurely after a string of poor performances.