With Nicholas Latifi Out the Door, Who Is Likely to Grab the Crucial Williams F1 Seat?

Williams today announced that driver Nicholas Latifi will leave the British constructors at the end of the season. The Canadian driver has arguably struggled throughout his tenure, failing to make his mark on F1. Latifi’s departure opens up the opportunity for a few drivers hoping for an F1 seat.

After 3 years with the Grove-based Constructors, Nicholas Latifi will look for new pastures in Formula 1. The Montreal-born driver scored 7 points in his tenure. He achieved his best finish in the Hungarian GP last year, finishing in the 7th position.

Now, let us take a look at the top 3 drivers who can replace the Canadian at Williams.

Nyck de Vries

The news of Latifi’s departure will be music to Nyck de Vries’ ears as he beat Latifi in the Italian GP, substituting for Alex Albon. The Dutch driver impressed everyone with his speed and defense as he scored P9 in his maiden F1 race. Furthermore, he impressed everyone by driving the Williams car, which is not an easy task.

The former Formula E champion did well and is certainly one of the front runners for the seat. However, the Dutch driver is also in contention for the AlphaTauri and Alpine seats. He’s been offered a test in the 2021 Alpine car while he also held talks with Helmut Marko for AlphaTauri‘s vacant position.

Logan Sargeant

A lot of whether Logan Sargeant gets the seat or not depends on if he qualifies for his ‘super license’. The Williams academy driver has impressed in F2 this year and looks ready for an F1 seat. If he signs a contract, he’ll be the first American driver to race in F1 since Alexander Rossi.

Logan has had a strong rookie year in the F2 championship. Furthermore, the Carlin driver is also scheduled to drive the Williams FW44 in FP1 in his home race in Austin. In order to receive the super license, Sargeant has to finish the current season of F2 placed 5th or higher.

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If he fails to do so, Williams might have to turn their attention elsewhere.

Mick Schumacher

The son of 7-time World Champion Mick Schumacher looks set to leave Haas at the end of this season. The German has had his ups and down this year. Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner called out Mick for his inconsistent performances this year. Mick has scored 12 points so far this season. He also finished a career-high P6 in the Austrian GP this year.

A move to Williams wouldn’t be the worst of things for Mick Schumacher, as he can find his form back in the British team. The member of Ferrari Driver Academy, Mick Schumacher, is certainly one of the names on Jost Capito’s list after the Williams boss praised the son of great Michael Schumacher.

Williams boss Jost Capito is open to signing a rookie driver

Williams Team Principal Josh Capito claims that they are open to signing a rookie driver for the next year. He is impressed by the wide range of available drivers in the pool like Jack Doohan, Logan Sargeant, Jack Aitken, etc. Williams is open to experimenting with their driver’s line-up to get the best results.

Speaking to Autosport in Monza, Josh said, “There’s a good choice of drivers, It’s a good choice of young drivers, there’s still some experienced drivers there as well. And so I think it’s quite different philosophies, different strategies.”

He further added, “In the situation of the team we can work on different strategies. We are not so much in the front that we need two very experienced drivers, so we can experiment a bit, and get young drivers in. So we’ll see what turns out to be best.”

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With Nicholas Latifi set to leave Williams, it opens up another door of opportunity for other drivers trying to secure a seat for next year. Which driver do you think should Williams sign to partner Alex Albon?