Latifi received threats: 'Working on improving his self-confidence'
General
- GPblog.com
Nicholas Latifi is having a difficult start to 2022. The Williams driver received compliments in the second half of last year's season as he seemed to be getting closer and closer to George Russell, but he has not carried that form into the current season. Jost Capito states that Williams is helping its driver to regain self-confidence.
Alexander Albon has been Latifi's teammate since this year, and although the young Briton had to watch from the sidelines in 2021, he immediately started to beat Latifi. In Saturday qualifying, Albon was faster every time and he also managed to score a World Cup point already. At Williams, they see that Latifi is struggling and that might have something to do with the last Grand Prix of 2021.
Mentally tough for Latifi
In Abu Dhabi, Latifi's crash into the wall provided the all-important safety car that would ensure Max Verstappen grabbed his first world title in Formula 1. The Canadian driver received a lot of criticism and also received all kinds of threats. According to the team owner, Capito Latifi has had a hard time with that.
"What affected him [Latifi] the most were the comments and threats he received on social media. We helped him deal with it. Of course that takes a toll on his confidence, but we are working to improve his self-confidence. I think Nicholas is on the right track," Capito tells German Motorsport-Magazin.com. So it seems that there is still plenty of confidence in Latifi's abilities at Williams for now.