Jost Capito (Williams) on Nicholas Latifi: “Abu Dhabi affected his driving”

Stable Director Williams for almost a year and a half, Jost Capito has returned to the significant misadventure of Nicholas latifi, during the final round in Abu Dhabi last year. The kind of episode any pilot would have done well in his career. As a reminder, during a Grand Prix supposed to decide between Max Verstappen et Lewis Hamilton then tied on points in the championship, the Canadian was guilty of going off the track four laps from the finish, ultimately allowing the Batavian to win the race and thus the world title. Following this chance incident, the Williams driver was targeted on social media, with some even going so far as to send death threats.

“We had to continue to give him confidence, detailed Jost Capito in the podcast " High performance ", regarding the winter break following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. We told him there was nothing abnormal. Everything was going well, but it was very difficult until then, because it was the end of the season.

He turned off his social media, but if we had interfered too much, I think we would have made the situation worse. This is something that everyone must overcome on their own. He was fully aware that he had our support, that we were absolutely convinced that he had done nothing wrong.

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The accident, of course, shouldn't have happened, but if you're racing, accidents happen. And we never blame a driver for that, it is possible to crash. Otherwise, you should stay at home if you don't want to have an accident. »

Since this episode, the Canadian driver has apparently marked time, he who was once the author of encouraging results, alongside his ex-teammate, George Russell. But this last Grand Prix of the season tarnished his image, and certainly altered his confidence. This season, Nicholas Latifi is still looking for his first points, having been dominated during the last Grand Prix in Italy by the beginner Nyck de Vries.

“I think that's also part of the reason why it took him a while into the season to find his competitiveness. I'm sure it affected his driving afterwards. It would have greatly affected my driving, I am absolutely convinced.

So I can understand that and that's why we gave him the confidence and supported him all season and we knew he would come back. »

Despite the confidence and time available to the Canadian, his seat is more than in danger at the start of the 2023 season. The trend is even largely against Nicholas Latifi, who sees the popularity of certain drivers skyrocket, like the young American pilot Logan sargeant. While a decision is expected from Williams and Jost Capito in the coming weeks, time is running out for Latifi who has never really given satisfaction during his three seasons with the British team.