Are we too hard on Nicholas Latifi?

Facts : Nicholas latifi will not pilot a Formula 1 in 2023. The Canadian will leave the discipline at the end of an adventure of three seasons where his fame was mainly built during racing incidents such as at the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But are we being too harsh on the good man?

YES, by Jérémy Satis

Well, don't expect me to sell you that Latifi is a crack, that's obviously not the intention. But the repeated mockery of him is still quite harsh. Let's be serious, Nicholas Latifi is not Ayrton Senna, we will agree, but he is not either Nikita mazepin, Gaston Mazzacane, or Yuji Ide, who in addition to being bad, were dangerous for others... In my opinion, the Canadian especially suffered from the evil of the century, that of social networks where the slightest poor performance is ridiculed . Ten years ago, Latifi would undoubtedly have simply left the image of a very average paying pilot… and nothing else! 

“Niki” was never a handle. Some forget his title of vice-champion of Formula 2 in 2019 after four full seasons in Formula 2 behind Nyck De Vries. In Formula 1, Latifi has always had very strong teammates. George Russell, first, who is one of the best of the new generation. Then when he finally got rid of it, Latifi had to deal with Alex Albon, whose top speed is no longer to be proven either. 

While it goes without saying that his teammates have always done better than him in the same car, the man from Toronto was frankly not helped by the quality of his package for three years. And then, when Williams was there in the summer of 2021, Latifi was there too. In Hungary, first, where he achieved a 7th place (ahead of Russell!), but also in Belgium with a 9th final position, coming very close to a third entry in the points at Monza a few weeks following. From a sporting point of view, it is obvious that Latifi will not be missed in F1, that his chance has passed and that he has not managed to seize it. But to legitimize that it has become the favorite punching bag of the Twittersphere is perhaps a little hard! 

NO, by Medhi Casaurang-Vergez

The shortest jokes are the best; the one linking Williams to Nicholas Latifi having lasted three years, I found it quite redundant, even downright annoying in recent months. Before going any further, it must be clarified that I have nothing against the Canadian, who is defended on the Internet because of his kindness and his appreciable character. Which I have no doubt about! Unfortunately, it is not in the light of his smile and his love for the Nutella that a professional driver must be evaluated, but rather on the basis of his results on the track, like any employee of a company.

On this ground, Nicholas Latifi doesn't have much to sell us, other than a pair of points finishes in 55 starts before the Singapore GP (with the pre-2010 scale he wouldn't have only finished once in the points and would not have had a single point with the pre-2003 scale). Okay, its car was one of the worst on the field, but that in no way excuses his more than feeble progress while another rookie with justified ambition, George Russell, continued his feats.

Certainly, Nicholas Latifi was the subject of harassment and insults following his blunder at the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, intolerable behavior which certainly did not help him build his confidence behind the wheel in 2022 But this should not extinguish all critical sense, as has become the case under the cover of sentimentality since this fateful Sunday December 12 in the night of Yas Marina. Is Nicholas Latifi a crack? No. Was he a useful pilot for the appeal of his sport? We can ask ourselves the question, regardless of the defenders of kindness.

In around twenty years, Nicholas Latifi will end up like all these average, not to say bad, pilots of the 1980s and 90s. When you read or hear his name, you will click on Google to obtain more information because it will resonate an obscure memory in your memory. Then, when you view a compilation of his exploits, you will launch a: “Ah, but of course it was him. I have forgotten about him. »

 

 

 

 

 

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Well, not this magnificent compilation provided by the Formula 1 Instagram account. Jean-Michel Montage had to dig through all the “rushes” to summarize the feats of arms of the Montreal native to announce his departure from F1. Result: a better time in free practice in Hungary, a hot seat in Barcelona, ​​a fire put out in Bahrain and that's about it. Good effort nonetheless.