After a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Canada’s Formula 1 Grand Prix returns this weekend at the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit. If thousands of people are already stamping their feet on the idea of finally seeing single-seaters turn the track, it’s a safe bet that few of them are as excited as Nicholas Latifi.
The Toronto driver from the Williams team will finally join the event in Montreal for the first time in his career as a regular driver, after 47 starts in F1. The 26-year-old athlete, who is in his third campaign in the major motorsport series, will not go into unfamiliar territory. He took part in free training with Force India in 2018, then with Williams in 2019. An experience that could have been a bit different this time around.
Yes, it’s pretty surreal to finally be here, in Montreal. It’s one of the historic Grands Prix on the calendar, and due to the pandemic, I haven’t been able to participate in it for the past two seasons. It’s very special, because I was born here, in Montreal, and I grew up in Toronto. I have a lot of close family who still live here, and very close friends, and I know they will be at the stands this weekend.Latifi said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
The Ontarian, however, stressed there will be no car upgrades this weekend, which means he will likely find himself behind the grid again.
Of course, I have a problem with the car. I’m not as comfortable as I would like at this stage of the season. But I’m not discouraged, I’m still feeling a lot of unused potential (in the car). And I can do a lot as a pilothe continued.
He’ll still be content to get through Q2 on Saturday, and has indicated he’ll rely on motor racing antics to get some spot in the classification on Sunday, whether it’s a yellow flag, an exit from the track or a bad pit. stop.
But we have to fight for points later this seasonhe added with the same breath.
The Canadian still has no ranking point after eight races this season and his best result so far was 14th place at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this spring. His teammate, Alexander Albon, has three points and has surpassed him five times in eight races so far this season.
Latifi also has a two-point deficit with another Canadian driver registered for the championship: Lance Stroll. When asked if he was annoyed at the constant comparison with her, Latifi assured us that this was not the case. Though he didn’t fail to peel it off in passing.
I don’t feel angry with him. I understand, for the novice, that it is easy to want to compare us, he insisted. With that said, we admit that Aston Martin and I often fight on the track, because they are our closest team to the peloton. But again, when you see Sebastian Vettel (Stroll’s team-mate) who finished 6th in Azerbaijan, then you’ll tell yourself that this car obviously has more potential than ours, and it is faster. Then, it is up to the pilot to do his job.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen leads the drivers standings with 150 points, 21 more than teammate Sergio Perez. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was third, with 116 points, while others, including Lewis Hamilton, were below 100 points.
Porpoising, a simple problem to solve according to Latifi
In addition, Latifi was invited to discuss the hot topic currently in F1: the porpoising. This aerodynamic phenomenon refers to the porpoise, a marine cetacean close to the dolphin, and consists of a jerky motion that bounces single-seaters on straight paths, threatening to break parts and impede the work of the pilots.
Clearly, the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit is equipped with a long straight line, and there is no doubt that the phenomenon will precede it again over the weekend.
Mercedes is one of the teams having a hard time controlling this phenomenon so far in the season, and Hamilton has been complaining for some time now of the recurring back pain it has caused. The Briton, seven -time world champion, even hinted that it could be a safety issue for pilots. An opinion shared by Alpha Tauri pilot Pierre Gasly, in particular.
There were some moments when I didn’t know if I would finish the race and if I would be able to keep the car on track. This is the most painful and difficult race I have ever knownsaid Hamilton after the last race, at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
He told Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff that the car should be completely change. A message taken by Latifi.
Porpoising was a real issue for us (at Williams) during the winter trial in Barcelona. This is always an issue, for all teams, but there is a very simple way to solve it: just change the settings on the car, which will inevitably affect its performance. We have adopted a compromise to avoid porpoising, and I believe that other teams, who are more competitive and the drivers are very vocal about it, should also consider it. But I agree that this issue needs to be resolved in the long run, otherwise pilots could suffer irreversible spinal cord injury.end of Latifi.
The Canadian Grand Prix will begin with the first two free practice sessions on Friday.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
