Former Red Bull junior Robert Doornbos reckons Williams should replace Nicholas Latifi with Nyck de Vries for next season. Making his F1 debut at the Italian GP in Monza last weekend, De Vries comprehensively outperformed Latifi – reaching Q2 and scoring points, while Latifi got lapped.
There have now been suggestions that the Dutch driver has done enough to warrant a seat in F1. Talking about his compatriot’s possible options for next season, Doornbos said:
“I think you have to look at Mercedes-powered teams. and there aren’t many places left. Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes are full, only Williams has a spot left. Then Jost Capito must also be man enough to immediately say: This was it for Latifi, and you will be in that car next year with Albon’.”
Doornbos also said that a team like Williams are in no hurry to finalize their lineup. Hey said:
“A team like Williams always takes a long time with such a decision; for them, it makes no sense to decide that now. They are not in a hurry and prefer to play the cards. If the receipt for the engine is high, Mercedes can still say that they would like to have their own driver in that seat, and that might save helped.” The team can confirm that @nyckdevries will take part in FP1 on Friday, fulfilling one of the two mandated young driver sessions this season
Doornbos also highlighted one crucial aspect that comes into play when a team like Williams select their drivers – evaluating the money they bring to the team. That could work both ways for De Vries – who has shown his talent on the track but could get pipped if another driver arrives with more sponsorship.
“There may also be another driver who has sponsorship and gets in that car,” said Doorbos. “That is also the Formula 1 world; there are only twenty seats and a lot of drivers who can and want to race. One has more talent than the other, but there is much more to it.”
He continued:
“Nyck doesn’t have to do anything anymore; you never get a second chance to make a first impression. He’s done a great job. Alpine or Williams should just offer a seat if they want it.”
De Vries is the second driver this year to score points on his F1 debut – Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhu (finished tenth at Bahrain GP) being the other.
Nicholas Latifi looks back on ‘tough’ race at Monza
Nicholas Latifi did not have a strong weekend at Monza. He qualified outside the top ten and dropped down further as the race went on.
While the other Williams driver – De Vries scored points – Latifi languished near the bottom of the standings. Reflecting on another disappointing weekend, Latifi said:
“A very tough race. I was compromised at the start being sandwiched between a few cars and trying to avoid damage. A lot of cars cut the first corner without any penalties.”
Ruing his team’s slow pit stop, Latifi added:
“Unfortunately, we had a slow pit-stop, which left us with very little to play for in the race. The aim was to maintain the position we started in, and we had a fighting chance, but it wasn’t meant to be .”
Latifi’s contract ends at the end of this season, but he has not been confirmed for the next season as of now.
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