Williams Racing F1 team principal Jost Capito believes the negative reaction to Nicholas Latifi’s crash in Abu Dhabi has affected his driving this season.
Nicholas Latifi was the subject of a controversial end-of-season accidental attack. His late crash brought out the safety car and changed the title race dramatically.
Despite its unintentional nature, some social media users didn’t stop sending death threats online to Nicholas Latifi. Nicholas Latifi stepped up security and moved social media away from his platform as the slander got so bad.
Williams F1 team principal Jost Kapit said he felt it was important not to push him too much, as the team believed that slander would only make matters worse.
“We had to keep giving him confidence,” Jost Kapit told the High Performance Podcast.
“We told him ‘nothing is wrong’. Everything was going well, but it was the end of the season so it was very difficult to improve them. They all went on vacation. They said I had to take a vacation.”
“I mean, he wasn’t here every day. Also, he knew what was going on, so he didn’t interfere much. I knew he turned off social media, but if we I think if I had interfered too much, I would have made the situation even worse.”
“It’s something everyone has to work through on their own. He was absolutely certain he had done nothing wrong and was fully aware of our support.”
“Obviously the crash shouldn’t have happened, but when you’re racing, crashes can happen. And we never blame the drivers. It can happen. We want to crash. If not, I have to stay home.”
Despite support from the Williams F1 team, Nicholas Latifi’s form has only deteriorated this season and there is genuine suspicion that he could be replaced at the end of the season. Jost Kapito said he believed his reaction to the crash affected his driving.
“It was very difficult. I think it’s difficult for everyone. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced it knows how it feels,” said Jost Kapito.
“Even when I turn off social media, I’m still in touch with other people watching it, and it continues, and I can’t get away from it.”
“I think that was also part of why it took him so long during the season to find himself competitive. I’m sure it affected his driving after that. And it made me feel like that. Had it happened it would have had a huge impact on my driving and I am absolutely sure of this.”
“So it’s understandable. That’s why we gave him confidence and supported him all season. We knew he would come back.”
But Nicholas Latifi will almost certainly lose his F1 seat at Williams this season. Nick de Vries, who impressed in his Formula 1 debut at Monza, and training driver Logan Sargent have been mentioned as potential replacements for him.
Category: F1 / Williams / Nicholas Latifi