With 2022 on the horizon and a car design that rather radically breaks away from the generic showcar that was revealed at last year’s British Grand Prix, it seems like there is a lot of hype and positive speculation surrounding Williams Racing.
It’s positivity that’s desperately needed in the Williams camp after three years of back of the grid performances. There started to be glimmers of hope in 2021, though. George Russell pulled off a spectacular qualifying lap at Spa and both drivers managed bring home some championship points when all was said and done at the end of the year.
One of the people at Williams who is definitely very excited to get the new season underway is Nicholas Latifi. He has every reason to feel that way, too. Whilst George Russell has left the team to go up the grid to Mercedes, Latifi will be working alongside his former Formula 2 teammate Alex Albon, a very talented driver who he’s always had a great relationship with. The new car also looks great and the team is in the best shape it’s been for several years thanks to new owners, new management and a new injection of cash.
“I’m a fan of the new livery,” he said, echoing comments that plenty of fans have said since the FW44’s launch. “Keeping the blue was important as it’s synonymous with Williams Racing, but it’s a pattern we’ve not seen before and the fluorescent red will pop on track which I really like. It’s a fresh new look to start off the new era of F1.”
Whilst the car looking good is a great thing, it’s the performance on track that matters more. This is something that Latifi also feels good about, both in terms of being excited to experience the new car properly for the first time and also to experience how the new technical regulations will change up the racing across the grid.
“I’m super excited for testing in Barcelona, to get back behind the wheel, push and see what the car can do. Pre-season always feels like quite a long time, but it’s been really busy and there’s been a nice build-up at the factory with lots of hard work from everyone.
“The new regulations should allow for much better racing so I’m excited for the challenge and we will aim to gather some good data from testing, to take us into the first few races.”
