‘Ready, prepared’ Nicholas Latifi primed for belated F1 debut
Nicholas Latifi says he feel ‘ready and prepared’ to make his F1 debut in Austria this weekend following the unexpected delays brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
The sole rookie in this year’s field, Latifi joins a Williams team eager to bounce back from a difficult 2019 campaign with the 2019 F2 runner-up lining up alongside George Russell in what will be one of the younger rider line-ups on the grid.
Pre-season testing back in March suggested the Williams FW43 has indeed taken a significant step forward in in terms of performance, but Latifi is refusing to make any predictions after such a long period out of action.
“It goes without saying that I am extremely excited to finally make my Formula One debut! It’s definitely not been a conventional build up to the first race of the season but these past few weeks have been good getting back into the swing of things, upping my preparations, and getting back into the factory and into the groove with the team.
“I feel ready and I feel prepared. It will be a bit strange with all the new protocols and it will definitely be a lot quieter without any fans. There will be a lot to get used to but we’re getting to go racing again and that’s the main thing. I can’t wait to hit the track.”
Latifi makes his F1 debut on the back of a successful route stint in Formula 2 that yielded seven wins in three seasons, finishing runner-up to Nyck de Vries in 2019.
