It is a frequently heard statement: the Formula 1 field consists of “the twenty best drivers in the world”. Anyone who has been following motorsport for a while knows that this claim is at best a half-truth. Of course Formula 1 is the highest achievable podium in motorsport, but that does not mean that the premier class is a flawless meritocracy.
First of all, there are drivers who choose a different career path: four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears is arguably one of the best racing drivers ever, but the American turned down a Formula 1 contract in 1980, despite a successful test with the Brabham team. by Bernie Ecclestone. And anyone who has ever attended a rally or seen the hair-raising onboard images on TV knows that nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb from France has at least as much car control as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Above all, in Formula 1, more than in any other class, commercial considerations and financial strength play at least as big a role as talent. Take Nicholas Latifi, the 26-year-old Williams driver who is currently very last in the Formula 1 World Cup – in fact he is 21st in a field of 20, as substitute Nico Hulkenberg scored 12th in Jeddah, while Latifi has not progressed further than spot fourteen. According to the fanfare, Latifi drove his last grand prix at his home race in Canada this weekend, and will be replaced at Silverstone by Alpine’s Australian prodigy Oscar Piastri.
Super License
Nicholas Latifi is not a bad driver, far from it. Really bad drivers usually don’t make it to Formula 1. In fact, reaching Formula 1 has become increasingly difficult, due to the increasing professionalization and the introduction of the points system for a super license. That regulation requires a driver to collect a total of forty points within a number of years, by achieving success in the entry-level classes under Formula 1. Anyone who does not collect those forty points, in principle, does not receive a super license.
Nicholas Latifi does have it, especially thanks to his Formula 2 season in 2019, when he finished second in the general classification behind Dutchman Nyck de Vries. Latifi won four races that year and was on the podium four more times, which was more than enough for the full forty points and a license. The flip side: It was his fourth full season at that level. F1 colleagues such as Charles Leclerc and George Russell, like Piastri, immediately became Formula 2 champions in their first season.
That also illustrates why Leclerc drives at Ferrari and Russell is under contract with Mercedes. The two young twenty-somethings are budding world champions and belong to the absolute top. Pure talent is the main reason for their employment. Latifi mainly rides at Williams because of the financial support he brings with him. In recent years, the Williams has featured prominent stickers from coffee maker Lavazza and food conglomerate Sofina. The latter company is owned by Michael Latifi, father of, while Lavazza is one of the brands distributed by Sofina. How much Latifi senior transfers to Williams each year is officially unknown. But at the beginning of 2020, when Williams was almost completely financially grounded, it was enough to help his son in Formula 1.
Deeper Pockets
Williams now has new owners with bigger ambitions and deeper pockets, which explains the rumors of Latifi’s possible resignation. Piastri is under contract with competitor Alpine and would only be loaned, but he is only 21 and has won three championships in a row in the past three years: Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2. The comparison with the rocket-like development of Leclerc and Russell is made quickly.
So it is quite possible that Nicholas Latifi will not get past 48 races in Formula 1. But with his departure, the phenomenon of the rich parent and the pay driver do not disappear, because that is of all times. In fact, some dads go a step further than daddy Latifi. Lance Stroll, that other Canadian whose qualities are sometimes questioned, persuaded his father Lawrence a few years ago to buy an entire Formula 1 team, so that one of the two Aston Martin seats is now reserved for Stroll junior. . At the end of 2020, this was even at the expense of Sergio Pérez, although it did provide Red Bull with the perfect teammate for Max Verstappen.
Until recently, Haas was a de facto Russian team, where billionaire Dmitry Mazepin paid the bills through his fertilizer company Uralkali and ensured that son Nikita could drive Formula 1. The close ties between the Mazepins and Russian President Putin put an end to that construction. And if you go further back in history, you will end up with LEC Refrigeration Racing, a British racing team that was set up in the 1970s for David Purley. The cars were not only financed by the family firm, but also bolted together outside office hours in Father Purley’s refrigerator factory.
Crazy action
Historically, Latifi is a very reasonable driver. Not so long ago, the tail of the grid was largely filled by so-called ride buyers, mediocre drivers with a big money lender behind them. The list is almost endless, but fans of the Dutchman Christijan Albers will remember the name Yuji Ide. Ide was a Japanese who stood up well in his home country, but was allowed to surrender his super license after four races in 2006 because he was a danger to himself and his colleagues. His last feat of arms was a dastardly action on Imola in which he drove into Albers and knocked him over several times.
Others were simply too slow: Jean-Denis Delétraz boarded the shabby Pacific in 1995 for a bag of Swiss francs, but in qualifying was twelve seconds slower than the fastest time and five seconds slower than the competitor in front of him. In the race he gave up after fourteen laps with cramp. Thanks to Delétraz, Formula 1 still has the 107 percent rule, with all cars having to qualify within 107 percent of pole position.
In short, it is all very well with Latifi when it comes to the title of ‘worst Formula 1 driver’. On paper he is indeed the worst of the current set, but this field is probably the strongest in the history of the sport. In addition, Latifi has accomplished something that few in their careers have achieved: he was a decisive factor in the 2021 World Cup battle. It was his crash that caused a safety car in the closing stages of that crazy race in Abu Dhabi, and with it Max. gave Verstappen the chance to still beat Lewis Hamilton. Many Dutch racing fans will be eternally grateful to Latifi for that.