Capito (Williams): « Not a big gap » between Russell and Latifi
Nicholas Latifi receives praises from his team principal, as well as from his teammate. According to Jost Capito, the team principal, the gap between Russell and Latifi is not as big.

Williams is having a remarkable season. The team has scored its first points in several years and the Russell-Latifi pair is consistently achieving good results. Currently eighth in the constructors’ standings with 22 points, Williams’ season is already a success. This season, the name Russell stands out the most. Accustomed to performing well in qualifying, the British driver is on cloud nine. However, we must not forget his Canadian teammate.
With Russell’s departure to Mercedes in 2022, Williams loses a valuable driver. Without him, the team risks not repeating the performance of the season. This is not the opinion of Jost Capito, the team director, who thinks that the gap between his two drivers is not as big as people think. “It’s hard to say. I think if you look at Monza in qualifying, Latifi was missing four hundredths of a second on Russell. I don’t think the gap is as big as everyone thinks. He had some problems in qualifying this season, but they were not caused by him. He would have been almost at the same speed as George,” he explained to Motorsport.com.
But since the beginning of the season, Latifi has been able to perform. If the difference is regularly made during qualifications, the Canadian nevertheless remains close to his teammate during the races. At Monza, he had a very good weekend. He finished the race in eleventh position, two places behind Russell. His teammate even felt he deserved a better place. « Nicholas did an extraordinary job to be honest. He deserved to be in the points. He is really becoming stronger and stronger, week after week. So, I have a lot of respect for him, in the way he works, how he manages his affairs, and how he tries to improve », said the future Mercedes driver.
Capito even believes that Alex Albon’s arrival will allow the team to continue its momentum, in addition to benefiting from the experience of the Red Bull driver. “I am absolutely sure that Alex Albon can establish himself very quickly in the team and do his best. I am therefore convinced that we have two very good drivers next year,” said the team principal. There is no doubt that Albon will do everything possible to perform at the wheel of a Williams. The question remains whether the 2022 car will meet the drivers’ expectations.