Nicholas Latifi asserts that his future in Formula 1 will purely come down to how he performs on the track during the upcoming races.
Latifi is out of contract with Williams at the end of the 2022 campaign, and it is believed that he is likely to depart the Grove-based squad.
However, team CEO Jost Capito suggested last week that it would be open to holding onto Latifi’s services for next year, provided he displays encouraging performances.
Latifi joined Williams in 2020 and has spent the large part of his F1 career competing at the rear of the field, amid Williams’ poor run of campaigns.
The Canadian driver is hopeful that he will still be on the grid next year, and understands that his future is in his own hands.
“From my side, [there’s] still nothing really new to comment on or to announce,” Latifi said. “I mean, I know what the objective is from my side.
“The team wants performance, I know, and obviously, that’s clear. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s going to be the performance that’s going to decide everything.
“So yeah, it’s just for me, trying to, tackle these next few races and get the most out of myself and the car, I feel, from the past few races before the summer break, it’s been on a much, much better path than it was looking at the beginning of the season.
“So, my goal is kind of continuing where I felt that I left off prior to the summer break, and showing what I can. It sounds simple. It’s obviously not simple – but, that’s what the goal is.”
Latifi endured a difficult race in Belgium last time out as he had a spin in the early stages of the race, which resulted in a retirement for Valtteri Bottas.
Although Latifi is not signed for 2023, Williams recently announced that it had extended team-mate Alexander Albon on a multi-year extension.
it’s not the drivers for Williams that suck it’s the cars. George Russell seems to be doing better, so ….
If it’s down to driving performance, he’s finished.