'Then you can expect Nyck de Vries to take the drive after the summer'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Nyck de Vries could well be the replacement for Nicholas Latifi. The Canadian is underperforming at Williams and the team is said to be looking at a possible solution to break his contract already earlier.
Latifi on his last weeks
Latifi has been under pressure since the beginning of 2022. This year he had to prove that he too could pull the cart. For two years he had been driven around the ears by George Russell, but according to Jost Capito that was not so bad. Latifi was better than one would think, but the first five races in 2022 show a familiar picture again.
Like Russell, Alexander Albon also managed to finish ahead of Latifi in every qualifying session and every race. Because of this setback, Latifi starts to ask more of his car than he is capable of and he also ended up in the wall several times. It is therefore not surprising that Williams is looking to get out from under the current deal, which lasts until the end of this year.
Opportunity for De Vries
Joe Saward announced earlier that not Oscar Piastri, but Nyck de Vries is a good candidate for Williams. According to the F1 journalist, Piastri would not fit in at Williams as Alpine's talent, whereas De Vries, with his Formula E and Formula 2 titles, would be a nice upgrade from Latifi.
''One suggested that Williams is looking to change drivers for the second part of the year as Nicholas Latifi has not done a good enough job. Things are complicated by money that the Canadian brings and by contracts, but if it happens, expect Nyck de Vries to take the drive,'' Saward writes in his blog.