F1 News
Piastri close to Williams contract for 2023, end of story for Latifi?
- GPblog.com
The rumors have been going around for some time, of course, but it seems more and more likely that Nicholas Latifi 's Formula One career will be over after this season. According to The Race Oscar Piastri is said to be close to signing a contract for 2023 with Williams, which is of course also bad news for Nyck de Vries ' chances in Formula 1.
Alpine willing to loan Piastri to Williams
Piastri has been considered one of the most talented drivers of his generation for years. From 2019 to 2021, the Australian driver won the championships of every class he drove in; Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2. This season Piastri is a test and reserve driver at Alpine, but there the 21-year-old driver will not be able to secure a seat at least in 2023. For next season, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso are already under contract with the French team.
Piastri is under contract with Alpine, but the young driver is said to have an escape clause if the team cannot get him an F1 seat before July. The solution seems to be found by lending Piastri to Williams for a season, as Red Bull did with Alexander Albon. Possibly there would be an announcement before the British Grand Prix, because of the escape clause in the contract.
Bad news for Latifi and De Vries
For Piastri of course it is good news if he can make his Formula 1 debut in 2023, but for Latifi it will probably mean the end of his Formula 1 career. The Canadian has underperformed again this season and will have to leave Williams after three seasons.
It is also bad news for De Vries, who recently drove a free practice session for Williams. The Dutchman was often mentioned lately as a possible replacement for Latifi, possibly even during this season, but with the arrival of Piastri at Williams the chances of an F1 seat in 2023 for the Dutchman seem to become very small.