De Vries brilliance could wield axe over Latifi - Hill
De Vries brilliance could wield axe over Latifi - Hill
Former F1 world champion Damon Hill believes Nyck de Vries' stunning debut for Williams now spells the end of the road for Nicholas Latifi.
De Vries was a late call-up after Alex Albon was hospitalised with appendicitis, with the Dutchman afforded only half an hour in FP3 to prepare for qualifying.
The Mercedes reserve driver qualified 12th and would have had a shot at reaching Q3 had he been more familiar with Albon's steering wheel settings, only to suffer a rear-brake lock-up that denied him a final attempt in Q2.
Starting from eighth on the grid after a spate of penalties for other drivers, De Vries put in a driver-of-the-day performance to secure ninth in the race itself and two points on his debut.
Canadian Latifi, in contrast, failed to make it past the first stage of qualifying and although starting 10th, was unable to challenge, crossing the line only 15th.
"In this case, Nicholas hasn't got the pace, clearly, that he needs to stay in that position in Formula 1," Hill told Sky Sports F1.
"Some good moments, but along comes a guy who hasn't even driven at a grand prix and he does a fantastic job.
"I know he had grid penalties and stuff that helped him up the grid a little bit but he still delivered in qualifying, [he] didn't really make a mistake."
De Vries puts hand up for F1 drive
De Vries has been touted for a drive in F1 since becoming F2 champion in 2019 and despite failing to make the leap, he then impressed in sportscar racing and in Formula E when he became Mercedes' first world champion in the all-electric series.
On what more De Vries could do to get a chance in F1 full-time, Hill replied: "Well, put it this way, he has done enough for us to talk about him.
"And what a good job, he has got Toto [Wolff] talking about him too. That's what you have to do if you want to be a Formula 1 driver."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK as star targeted for stunning Audi move - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
F1 wonderkid in Mercedes TEST amid driver replacement reports
- Yesterday 22:57
Former Perez F1 boss reveals who should replace him
- Yesterday 21:57
Sainz hints at sensational move to rival series
- Yesterday 20:57
McLaren star DROPPED following serious injury
- Yesterday 19:57
F1 legend confident about Newey to Ferrari
- Yesterday 18:58
Related news
F1 champion claims team may WRITE OFF Chinese GP sprint race
Schumacher fires scary message at F1 team boss as worst fears CONFIRMED
F1 team hire former Man Utd and Chelsea supremo
F1 team boss makes SHOCKING chassis revelation
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860