Latifi: We have to be realistic about our chances in the race

In the rain at Silverstone, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi reached the qualifying final for the first time in his career, starting tenth in the race. His partner Alex Albon showed the sixteenth time on the renewed car.

Nicholas Latific (10th): “Today is a special day for me, which took place in difficult weather conditions. Reaching the second part was already a great achievement, that gave me a boost, and reaching the final was even more than we had hoped for.

Immediately after leaving the pits I was able to find the rhythm. The team did a great job in the first and second parts and let me loose on the track at just the right time. We saw how important it is in the second session to show the time at the right time – before the track condition deteriorated. It’s a shame we didn’t make it to the final, but overall the team did a great job – have a nice day!

We have to realistically estimate our chances in the race, because faster cars start from behind. In the race you have to take a strategic approach, because a lot will depend on the control of rubber wear. Anything is possible, so I will focus on my own race and try to make the most of the opportunities that come my way.

Alex Albon (16th): “Today there were normal circumstances. Despite the rain, the car drove well, but lacked grip on the second set of tires.

It was unusual to fly a car with the new products installed, but in the third training session I got used to it and even in the rain in the first qualifying session everything was fine. At the end of the first session we decided to do a slow circle, but the tires were very cold because of that. At that point the track started to dry up and everyone added, but I didn’t have enough grip on the track.

At that time it was not easy for us to make a choice, but now I understand that the decision to ride a slow circle was not the best one. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. We have a good car, so now we have to analyze what happened.”