Capito drops Latifi contract renewal notice at Williams F1

Given the growing suggestions that George Russell will join Mercedes next season, Williams may prefer to keep his other driver to ensure some continuity.

When asked before the Belgian Grand Prix whether everything pointed to a contract extension for Latifi, Capito said: “Yeah, it looks like it, I would say.”

Latifi himself has made no secret of the fact that he plans to stay with Williams for a third season in 2022 after earning his first F1 points in seventh at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He said Thursday he now feels experienced enough to take on the lead driver role if Russell’s move to Mercedes is confirmed.

When asked if he thought the result in Hungary would help his cause, Latifi said: “I definitely think the Budapest result will not hurt my case, how much it adds to it, I think it lies not really up to me to decide.

“The team knows what I can do behind the scenes. Budapest was a unique situation, but I showed that I was able to seize the opportunity that is sometimes very important in Formula 1 when it comes to groundbreaking performances.”

Also read:

Capito figured the team would trust Latifi to be strong enough to lead the squad when needed by the end of this year.

“Maybe not now, but he’s really getting better from race to race and I’m sure he’ll be ready for that by the end of the season,” he said.

“Above all, his personality is in the right place to lead the team. He works very well with the engineers, he is very motivating. He’s very clear about where he wants to develop a car and he’s very popular with the team and he’s demanding.

“I think he learned a lot with George too, as they work together, they spend a lot of time on and off the track. So it’s a fantastic relationship and I’m sure Niki will be there at the end of the season. ” Position that he can lead the team. “

When Russell goes to Mercedes, Williams has a number of options. It could promote development driver Jack Aitken or enable experienced drivers like Nico Hülkenberg or Daniil Kvyat to return to F1. Valtteri Bottas is also another option.