Rumors have been swirling around Williams driver Nicholas Latifi for weeks that he could lose his place during the season. Is his time in Formula 1 actually running out?
Nicholas Latifi has secured his cockpit at Williams at least until the end of the year. The revealed team boss Jost Capito in an interview with RTL / ntv.
The 63-year-old said he couldn’t stop the speculation about Latifi’s future, especially in the English media. However, there are no immediate plans to replace Latifi.
A change during the season is therefore out of the question. Since Latifi’s contract is only valid until the end of the year, his exit from Formula 1 should only be postponed.
The interim conclusion for the Canadian in the current season is devastating. Latifi was the slowest driver in the field in five of eight qualifying sessions. His best result of the season was 14th place in Miami, which he only got because numerous drivers dropped out. In Azerbaijan he was 15th, which is still the worst result given the total of five retirements in the course of the race.
Will Piastri switch from Alpine to Williams?
As the successor to the 26-year-old, who has been in the car for Williams since 2020 and has only been able to score seven World Championship points since then, the portal “The Race” brought Alpine Junior Oscar Piastri into play. Allegedly, Williams could even officially announce Piastri’s commitment by the end of June.
Piastri’s contract with Alpine runs until 2023. Should he not receive a cockpit from the racing team in the coming season, he can allegedly change thanks to a contractual clause. Since both old master Fernando Alonso and teammate Esteban Ocon are firmly in the saddle, the 21-year-old could actually start for another team next year.
Oscar Piastri won Formula 2 last season with the Italian Prema Powerteam.