Latifi form and confidence boosted by newfound 'consistency'

Nicholas Latifi says his recent upswing in form has been the result of his consistency which in turn has boosted the Williams driver's confidence.

Latifi scored his first championship points in Hungary last month and added another top-ten finish – based on his qualifying result – in Spa's truncated race.

But it's precisely the Canadian's performances in qualifying that have pointed to a marked improvement of his form.

In Russia, for the second event in succession, Latifi gained access to Q2.

However, an engine change and subsequent grid penalty in Sochi deterred the Williams driver from putting in a flyer in the second segment of qualifying, while his highly rated teammate George Russell clocked in a remarkable third at the end of the session.

"Obviously seeing what he did shows the potential that could have been," said Latifi. "But also what I did in Q1. I was for whatever reason flying in Q1.

"I set a lap time in the middle of the session when the track was still wet that went P6 at the time, and that was still good enough to stay P10 when everyone else was improving at the end of the dry track.

"I felt quick, and it would have been nice to see what we could have done. If I did my job Q3 was easily on the cards, and then we saw how Q3 ended up, and obviously when we're in that position you have nothing to lose so you can take the risks.

"That's how it goes sometimes. It's frustrating for sure, but that's racing, and I'm sure we'll get more opportunities, because the pace is consistently there now.

"So if it's consistently there, it'll be there to take advantage of something one time or another."

In Sochi, Latifi said that his Williams FW43B "felt the best it's ever felt in the two years I've been with the team".

There's certainly no denying the progress achieved by Williams' contender this season, a fact also underscored by Russell.

• Read also: Williams 'proactive and aggressive' approach paying dividends – Capito

But Latifi's own level of performance has also been in an uptrend this year, a steady improvement rooted in the 26-year-old's enhanced confidence and consistency.

"The main thing is the consistency, because even last year there were periods or flashes where the pace could be there, it just maybe it wasn't always in qualifying, or was in the race," said the Canadian who will undertake a third season with Williams in 2022, racing alongside new recruit Alex Albon.

"It's coming together more consistently which definitely brings confidence, and then just for different reasons on each of the past races there have been things out of my control that have put me back.

"But it's been nice to be in the mix in those races as well, and like I said, if I keep doing my job properly and we keep working well with the team, then there will be more opportunities like that, because it's coming now."

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