F1 | New regulations, new car and new teammate, Latifi: "It opens kind of endless possibilities"
On the pretesting days in Barcelona, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi talked about how it will be to face different new aspects and his position on the cancellation of the Russian GP.
The 2022 season of Formula 1 is here, the new era of the main category of Motorsport has began. It does come at a strange time, however.
The Coronavirus pandemic is still a menace and moreover, a war in Europe between Ukraine and Russia made it necessary to cancel the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi in September.
On Friday, Williams’ driver Nicholas Latifi met selected media in a press conference and he could answer some questions. The first one was about his reaction to the Russian Grand Prix cancellation, which had just been confirmed. The Williams driver was asked if he thinks that it was the right call from the FIA and if he would be happy to go there anyway.
“Definitely it was the right move – he replied – if we were to go there we would have felt we shouldn’t be there.”
This year, Latifi will race on a completely different car, with a completely new set of regulations and with a new teammate. MotorLat asked if he feels like this could be a good opportunity for him to showcase his talent.
“I definitely think it is. You spot the fact that new cars regulations will be new. I haven’t seen all the cars but visually they are very different from the last year, - the Canadian pointed out. – As a team, you have to decide in what direction you are going, I think that is crucial. I’ve started developing this since my first year in Formula 1. The 2022 car is an evolution of the 2020 and 2021 one. It opens kind of endless possibilities and I am very excited about that.”
We also asked him how does he think it will be working with Alexander Albon again. The former Red Bull driver has already been Latifi’s teammate four years ago at DAMS, when they were both in Formula 2.
“I definitely feel like this is a good opportunity for me to work with the team in so many ways, with Alex. I mean, this is a fresh start also for this reason, as I will be racing with a new teammate, but I’m sure we will work well together. I can see no problems arriving, I am very happy to have him as a teammate.”
— Nicholas Latifi (@NicholasLatifi) February 24, 2022
