After seeing Williams debut its up to date bodywork package deal on teammate Alex Albon’s automobile on the British Grand Prix, Latifi lastly obtained the brand new elements for the Paul Ricard race weekend.
The Canadian slumped to final place in qualifying on Saturday, lapping three tenths of a second slower than Albon, and he felt he ought to have “safely” made it by means of Q1 earlier than “one thing simply felt off” together with his automobile.
“I really feel there have been quite a lot of little points that we have been having that we should not have been having,” Latifi mentioned.
“I had an off-centre steering wheel all weekend which we have not been in a position to repair, and clearly in parc ferme we will not repair it for the race tomorrow [Sunday].
“This can be very disturbing and irritating as a driver when your wheel is kind of a bit off-centre, and there have been another issues that did not go fairly proper.
“The tempo was there within the automobile fairly simply, and that may be a clear signal of enchancment from the replace package deal. However I do not see why what occurred on the final lap.”
Requested what rationalization had been given by the workforce concerning the off-centre steering, Latifi replied: “I have never obtained one but.”
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
However Williams head of car efficiency Dave Robson downplayed the impression of the steering problem on Latifi’s automobile, and famous the problem of creating a repair with the present curfew pressures on workforce personnel.
“Within the knowledge, and even watching the video, it seems to be like a reasonably small drawback,” mentioned Robson.
“With all these items, there’s all the time a bit of little bit of imperfection in them. I feel up to now it will have been simpler to have fastened within the sense that we may have spent so long as we needed to final night time, taken the automobile to bits and discovering it. Clearly now with the vastly restricted working hours, it is a bit harder to do this.
“I feel additionally a few of it’s the crosspoint, so it is not really the automobile itself. So, within the pit lane it is not too dangerous.
“Perhaps it has disturbed him a bit of bit however I do not suppose it is too dangerous, to be trustworthy.”
Latifi was inspired the updates had however provided “a relative step in efficiency” as he seems to be to elevate his kind amid uncertainty over his future with the workforce past the top of this season.
Williams is broadly anticipated to signal Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri on mortgage for subsequent 12 months to companion Albon as Latifi’s contract involves an finish.
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