Jost Capito Backs Nicholas Latifi To Shine at Williams F1 After George Russell Exit

With George Russell now officially a Mercedes driver, Williams CEO Jost Capito thinks that Nicholas Latifi can finally shine at the Grove-based outfit.

Russell was undeniably the driving force for the British team; helping them score points, getting them in Q2 in qualifying, and getting them the only podium in the 2021 season. Now, with him going to the Silver Arrows for the 2022 season, Capito thinks that Latifi will have the opportunity to shine at the team.

Capito thinks that with Russell leaving Nicholas Latifi can shine at Williams

The Formula One community is excited that they will finally get to see Russell drive for the Brackley-based outfit. With George leaving the team, the team principal of Williams thinks this is the time that Latifi can shine.

Speaking to GPFans, Capito said, “Definitely, that’s a chance for Nicky. I think Nicky was not demotivated or in a bad mind because he was very often as fast as George, just the results didn’t show it.”

“It was a couple of times in qualifying, where it was not up to him that he couldn’t be as fast as George. The times… we expected him [to be] minimum as fast as George, and his race performance was really, really good in a couple of races or most of the races actually. I think he can try [this year], there is no doubt,” he concluded.

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How did Latifi perform for Williams in 2021?

The 2021 season was his second year in Formula One. The previous year the Canadian driver finished the year at the bottom of the drivers’ championship with zero points under his belt. However, the 2021 season saw the Williams driver bring some improvement to his skills behind the wheel.

Latifi finished the season in seventeenth place with seven points to his name. He scored his first-ever Formula One points at the Hungarian Grand Prix by coming seventh, and later at the Belgian Grand Prix where he placed ninth.

For the 2022 season, he will drive alongside former Red Bull driver Alex Albon. The two are hoping to take the Grove-based outfit to new heights. What are your expectations for the duo in 2022? Let us know what you think in the comments section down below.

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