Williams Racing has announced the departure of Nicholas Latifi from its team at the end of the 2022 F1 season.
While it was not a confirmed news but there were speculations that Latifi will lose his Williams seat beyond the 2022 F1 season after they extended Alexander Albon’s contract early in the year. With his results not matching up, this seemed like a coming thing.
Amid rumours of other drivers lining up, Williams eventually confirmed the departure of Latifi from the team at the end of the 2022 F1 season on Friday. The Canadian has raced in more than 50 grands prix and has so far scored seven points in total.
His replacement will be announced in due course with the likes of Nyck de Vries, Logan Sargeant, Mick Schumacher among the names linked to the seat along with Daniel Ricciardo, who is still looking out for a competitive seat after losing his McLaren drive.
“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.
“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.”
At the same time, Jost Capito added: “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.”
Here’s Nyck de Vries on talks with Williams
Here’s Alexander Albon on Singapore
Here’s news on complications around Alexander Albon
Here’s praise for Nyck de Vries