Williams CEO and team principal Jost Capito has suggested that Nicholas Latifi proved all of his haters wrong last time out in Hungary.
Latifi, who has been criticised for “buying his way” into Formula 1 and being comprehensively outpaced by team-mate George Russell in qualifying, scored his first F1 points in Hungary.
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Specifically, he crossed the finish line in P8, but he was promoted to seventh after Sebastian Vettel was disqualified from the race due to his Aston Martin having less than the required one-litre of fuel left in its tank.
Russell finished the race one place behind Latifi, and Capito has said he believes the Canadian driver’s composed drive at the Hungaroring is proof that he deserves his place on the F1 grid.
“This was the first time Nicky scored points in F1 – and it had to come,” Capito said.
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“I’m sure it will be a big boost for him and give him a lot of self-confidence. Qualifying behind George and then finishing ahead for sure is a big motivator for him.
“I was impressed with how Nicky brought it home amid the pressure of running in the points comfortably for the first time. At one point, he was third.
“To keep his head down and deliver was very impressive. It shows how much Nicky deserves to be in F1,” he added.
After a strong double points finish in Hungary, Williams are currently eighth in the Constructors’ Standings on 10 points, ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas.
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