As Formula One continues its wait to properly commence the 2020 season, we caught up with this season’s only rookie and Williams driver – Nicholas Latifi in pre-season to reflect on his F1 plans and look back at his last two seasons in F2.
From a difficult 2018 to finishing last season as F2’s Vice-Champion and graduating into F1 with Williams, Latifi has had quite the turnaround as he now looks ahead to taking on one of F1’s young talents in George Russell.
Latifi also discusses how much it meant to drive for DAMS and honouring the team’s late founder – Jean Paul Driot by graduating into F1 as he prepares to make his debut when the season gets underway.
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How does it feel to finally arrive in F1 as a race driver, after working with three different teams over last four seasons behind the scene and did those experiences help you improve your skill set in F2 over time?
Latifi: “Yes because to finally arrive in F1 as a full-time race driver is a dream come true, which when I found out was something that finally came to life. All the hard work behind the scenes and lots of sacrifices to have gone into it to achieve that goal makes it a special feeling and difficult to put into words.
“Especially having been immersed in F1 team environments for the past three years, obviously with the intention to hopefully one day graduate to a race seat after spending a lot of time learning back at the factory and getting used to driving the F1 car.
“I just can’t wait to take that next step into the full-time race seat so yeah all that experience with teams definitely helped giving me different insights, different perspectives and working with three different F1 teams was all beneficial, especially for my Formula Two drive and put together the season I had last year which ultimately earned me the seat.”
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When we last spoke in September 2017, you said that the podium is ‘a feeling that never gets old so it’s a highlight for me every time I get to step on one!’ Now that you’re in F1 with Williams, how much would it mean to achieve a podium in your rookie season?
Latifi: “Yeah to achieve a podium in your rookie season would be something that is quite special, especially on the Formula One stage is something that I can only dream of and would love to make happen.
“At the same time, realistic in what the targets will be for this year so never say never . You don’t know anything can happen but I think before we can get there, those goals have to be set after testing.
“If the opportunities are there to make it happen then it would be something that I would grab with both hands in a heartbeat.”
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You endured a tough 2018 season with DAMS whilst then teammate – Alex Albon challenged for the title, yet you bounced back to finish as Vice Champion last season. How would you reflect on that turnaround in performance on and off track?
Latifi: “Yeah 2018 was quite a difficult season, maybe down to the struggles adapting to the new car which I was quite open about since then, so the turnaround was me accepting that the new car was never going to be how I wanted it to suit my driving style, so I really had to change a lot of things about what I knew was instinctive with what came naturally to me.
“I obviously had Alex Albon as a reference teammate to me. We had opposite driving styles so I was able to learn from him and try to match what he was doing, and accept that the car was what it was going to be and I had to change and adapt myself .
“The form started coming back at end of the 2018 season and kicking off 2019 where we left off in 2018, and that started off a very shock run of points with three wins in the first three rounds and ultimately secured me the vice championship.”
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Last summer saw you and DAMS endure the sad loss of founder – Jean Paul Driot who had provided you with four full second-tier seasons at DAMS. What does it mean to honour his memory by becoming the second consecutive and 20th overall DAMS driver to graduate into F1?
Latifi: “It means a lot to me to honour his memory in that way. Jean Paul was a big part of those four years at DAMS, he was a big supporter and took a big risk on me, allowing me and giving me the opportunity to drive for his team from 2016 season.
“He was one of my biggest supporters up to the day that he passed away but to honour his memory by first awarding the team with the teams’ championship was very high up my priority list, knowing it was going to be my last year in F2 so to have finally given him that after two years where we finished third, then putting together a strong run for myself for the championship was to give me the best chance to secure a F1 seat.
“That is always something that I know in that he has taken pride in with his drivers who have gone through his team, giving them a platform to improve themselves to make it to F1 so I know that he will be very proud and very happy, and I owe him a lot so a big thank you to him and everyone at DAMS.”
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You will have a tough teammate in your debut F1 season in the form of George Russell, so how excited are you to have Russell as your teammate this season, despite his dominant qualifying and race form, which stretches back into his F2 days?
Latifi: “Yeah I am obviously very excited to have George as a teammate and it goes without saying that he is a very well highly established and rated driver.
“You’ve seen what a strong season he had last year against his teammate (Robert Kubica) and going back to his junior categories, he has always been at the front so am looking forward to benchmarking myself against him, and am very well aware that I will compared first and foremost to my teammate because you never know what a car performance is going to be.
“So I am looking forward to learning from him and see it as an exciting challenge to benchmark myself up against him and hoping to get on the pace of him as soon as possible as no doubt, he will have an advantage going into the first race and season with a full season of F1 experience now which you can’t replicate, cannot buy, can’t simulate.
“You just have to let the experience come race by race so I am up for the challenge.”
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Finally, what are your expectations for this season ahead of the rule changes taking place next season?
Latifi: “Expectations for this season, I think a lot of outcome in terms of setting targets for results is a bit too early to say right now because we don’t know what the performance of the car is going to be so we just have to wait and see after the first few rounds where we are in the pecking order.
“We’re all optimistic that it is going to be a step forward from last year but how much, we don’t know yet but as I have said, I know for sure regardless of car performance, I am going to be compared to my teammate, stacking up against him and getting as close to him as possible as soon as possible is definitely a goal ahead of the 2021 season.”
“Right now I haven’t thought so much about it because I have a really big year ahead of me this year with a lot to focus on, a lot to learn so my mindset is firmly on 2020 and doing the best I can to shock the most out of myself and the car performance.
“I am hoping to be on the F1 grid still in 2021 which no doubt will be a very exciting year with complete overall of rules (now delayed to 2022), cars will be completely different so I think it will be quite cool to experience and be a part of that change which is what I think happens so often in F1.”
If missed our first interview with Latifi in September 2017, please click here.
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