Jost Capito’s warning to under-pressure Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Latifi climbs into the cockpit of the Williams FW44 on the Baku grid. Azerbaijan, June 2022.
Jost Capito has told Nicholas Latifi he has to be able to deal with the pressure of going up against a “faster” team-mate – something he did not seem able to do at Monza.
Williams were forced into a late change on Saturday morning at Monza when Alex Albon was taken to hospital suffering with appendicitis.
The team called on Nyck de Vries to fill in for him, the 2021 Formula E champion impressing the Formula 1 paddock as he became the 67th driver to score points on his debut.
De Vries took the chequered flag in ninth place, the reserve driver matching the team’s previous best result this season.
But while it was all smiles for De Vries, the same cannot be said of Latifi with 1996 World Champion Damon Hill declaring he “hasn’t got the pace” to hold on to his race seat.
It was clear on Saturday already that Latifi was under pressure as he was eliminated in Q1, P16, while De Vries qualified 13th.
Almost immediately he was asked how it felt “being beaten by a driver who was only told he could drive just before FP3”.
He replied: “What do you think?”
Latifi started the race closer to De Vries than their qualifying results, P10 to the Dutchman’s P8 after other drivers took engine penalties.
But while De Vries put in a top-10 drive, Latifi fell to 15th.
Williams CEO Jost Capito has told his driver he has to be able to race against the “best”.
“It’s extremely difficult for him,” he said in an interview with Sky Deutschland. “Getting a driver who is faster into the other car is extremely high pressure.
“As a Formula 1 driver you have to be able to deal with the pressure. There are only 20 that are the best and you have to be able to deal with that.
“We have to see that from now on.”
A day to remember for @nyckdevries ?#WeAreWilliams #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/Mfus5lzEaP
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsF1) September 12, 2022
Latifi’s loss to De Vries came at a bad time for the Canadian, who is said to be fighting for his Formula 1 future.
On the other hand, it worked rather well for De Vries.
Capito spoke glowingly of the 27-year-old’s debut race, saying it was “all absolutely flawless – it didn’t just shows he’s fast, but also racing intelligence. He had to defend, attack, do pit-stops.”
He added: “Outwardly he’s a sunny boy, but of course he pushes and is tough. The way he pushes the team and his statements are tough. It’s a good combination.
“You didn’t notice any nervousness in him, although internally he is natural. He did it so professionally, as if he had never done anything other than driving Formula 1.”
De Vries’ two points sandwiched him between the regular Williams drivers on the championship log, Albon P18 with four points and Latifi down in 21st with none.
Read more: Damon Hill says Nicholas Latifi was not fast enough to stay in F1 at Monza
Read more: Italian Grand Prix driver ratings: Nyck de Vries shows he belongs in F1