Nicholas Latifi Power Issue Forces FP2 Red Flag

A power unit issue for Nicholas Latifi in FP2 saw the Williams driver stuck in the middle of the track, forcing the session to be red-flagged on what was a difficult day for Williams at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Nicholas Latifi Rues Missed Track Time

With his car left stranded on the circuit, Nicholas Latifi was left to rue missing out on valuable track time in Baku.

‘In FP2, I moved out of the way of another car but couldn’t turn back left to get back onto the track. In the time it took me to reverse from the escape road the power unit got too hot; the safety measures put in place to make sure it doesn’t get damage kicked in and it shut off. Unfortunately, that was the end of my session.

‘You don’t want to miss track time, especially on a street circuit, so it’s not ideal but we will make the best of it and see what we can do. Q2 is still the objective for us as a team but we need to see where we are in FP3 tomorrow,’ said Latifi.

Nicholas LatifiImage credit Williams press office

George Russell Looking To Build On Day 1 Performance

With improved speed in 2021, George Russell has started to set his sights higher, and will once again be looking to make it into Q2 during qualifying tomorrow.

‘It was a tough day here in Baku. Our competitors are looking a little faster than we expected, but I think with some hard work tonight and the right changes to the set-up we can find some lap time. I wasn’t pushing the boundaries massively as it’s only practice so it’s about getting the laps under my belt and finding a rhythm. Hopefully I can make it count when it matters tomorrow; Q2 is the goal for me and I think it’s possible if we can put absolutely everything together. Above all, I think the race on Sunday is going to be really interesting,’ added Russell.

Tough Day For Williams

For Williams Head of Vehicle Performance, Dave Robson, it was a tough day that leads into a late night, as the team looks to solve the power issues that compromised Latifi’s FP2 session.

‘It has been a tough day with high quality laps around this long circuit at an absolute premium. Having had a decent first practice session, we lost valuable time on Nicholas’s car this afternoon when the power unit protection strategy was triggered following a trip down the escape road. Unfortunately, Nicholas couldn’t get the car back on track quick enough to prevent the power unit getting too hot and so the protection strategy intervened to prevent any damage to the unit.

‘George had a smoother day but struggled a bit for pace at both low and high fuel. However, we got most of the key work done and we know that there is more time to come from both car and drivers as this is not a circuit to push too hard too soon.

‘The tyres are given a hard time on this long track, especially when the track is hot and there will probably be little room for error during qualifying tomorrow. There are likely to be some incidents during the session and it is possible that not all drivers will get the chance to show their pace in Q1. The race could be interesting with a range of tyre strategies possible,’ concluded Robson.

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow