The presentation of the new FW44, complete with first laps of shakedown on track at the Silverstone track, officially opened the 2022 season for Williams. A new era for the Grove team – their first season in three years without George Russell – and a new start for Nicholas Latifi, after the complicated finale of last season. The Canadian driver in 2021 won his first world championship points in his career, also obtaining a splendid seventh place in the chaotic GP of Hungary. Unfortunately, the Canadian’s vintage will be remembered above all for the mistake made in the last laps of the Abu Dhabi GP. His impact against the barriers first triggered the entry of the Safety Car and then all the events that allowed Max Verstappen to snatch the world title from Lewis Hamilton on the last lap.
Latifi a few days after the race had revealed that he had received heavy and even offenses death threats for what happened in Yas Marina. Recently, the Montreal native also explained that he nevertheless felt a strong closeness from his colleagues, starting with Hamilton who had already contacted him shortly after the Abu Dhabi episode. Speaking with the site GPFans, the # 6 of the Grove team also admitted to having feared in some circumstances for his own safety. “Hire security officers? Yes. To be honest it was something we considered – has explained – to some it may seem silly, but in the end you never know how serious people are“.
“All it takes is a drunk fan at the airport, or someone who is having a bad day, intoxicated or under the influence of something and who has these extreme opinions. Just that there is that person in a million “, he added. Latifi also revealed that he has already made use of ad security officers. “A few days I went back to London after the race and had some confidence with me when I was doing certain things. I went to Winter Wonderland with my girlfriend and had some safety with me. It sounds silly – he concluded – but we took threats seriously because you never really know what can happen. It is an unfortunate part of the world we live in“.
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