Latifi to leave Williams at the end of the year

Ian Parkes
Friday 23 September 2022 10:05 - Updated: 10:10

Williams has confirmed Nicholas Latifi is to leave the F1 team at the end of this year.

The decision comes as no surprise as Latifi's current contract expires at the end of this season, leaving Williams now searching for a new team-mate for Alex Albon, with Nyck de Vries understood to be their favoured option.

The 27-year-old will have spent three seasons with Williams, with his only points in 55 races to date coming in last season's Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix.

Latifi said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Williams Racing - all the people back at the factory and those I work with trackside - for the last three years.

"My initial F1 debut was postponed due to the pandemic but we eventually got going in Austria and, although we have not achieved the results together we hoped we would, it’s still been a fantastic journey.

"Getting those first points in Hungary last year was a moment I’ll never forget, and I will move onto the next chapter of my career with special memories of my time with this dedicated team.

"I know none of us will stop putting in every effort until the end of the season."

Praising Latifi for his "three years of hard work", team principal and CEO Jost Capito said: ""He is a great team player who has a great attitude towards his colleagues and work and is well liked and respected throughout the business.

"Our time together is now coming to an end, but I know he will put full effort in to maximise what we can do together for the remainder of this season.

"We wish him all the very best of luck for his future, both in and out of the cockpit."

Latifi will be infamously remembered for crashing late on in last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, sparking the controversial ending to the campaign which resulted in Max Verstappen being crowned champion.

The Canadian later confirmed to receiving death threats such was the trauma he endured after the event.