Nicholas Latifi: I don’t feel any progress

Returning to Formula 1 after a one-year hiatus, Alex Albon has already earned points and regularly fights for top ten positions. Against the background of a partner, Nicholas Latifi’s results look inconclusive. Canadian racer Williams explains this by saying that he does not feel confident in the car and therefore cannot attack at full power.

“From the podium in Saudi Arabia, even before the accidents, I feel uncomfortable in the car,” racingnews365 quoted Latifi as saying. – Any racer will tell you that if he doesn’t trust the car it can be very dangerous. It is dangerous, not from the point of view of physical safety, but from the point of view of the fact that you are no longer driving the car, but the car is you, and because of this it is impossible to attack on the limit.

Even if I have a fast pace, it doesn’t mean I’m comfortable in the car at all. I think over time I will get more confidence in the car and the fact that I was able to finish in Imola in difficult conditions can be considered a positive result.”

When asked what specific areas he is not confident in, Nicholas said: “Everything, except those moments when I’m driving in a straight line with the accelerator to the floor. It’s clear that Alex feels more comfortable behind the wheel. It’s no secret that our car lacks downforce and has balance issues, but Alex manages to get around these issues better.

I don’t have enough confidence in the car, so I can’t start with the technical aspects, the fine-tuning. Trust in the car is paramount, everything else is secondary.

The team and I have to work together to solve the problem. Of course, if one rider can’t find an approach to the car, and the second succeeds, then we can say I have to reach partner level. It is, but nothing has happened since the podium in Saudi Arabia. No matter how many laps I do, I don’t feel any progress. We have a lot to think about for the future.”