Nicholas Latifi admits that he had a "tricky few days" following the controversial events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Williams driver found himself caught up in the conclusion of the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton when he crashed out of the race just a few laps from the end. This triggered a Safety Car period, which enabled Verstappen to pit for fresh tyres and catch Hamilton on the last lap, meaning that the Red Bull driver took the win as well as the World Championship. Latifi's inadvertent role in the outcome of the championship led to him revealing that he had received "hate, abuse and even death threats" on social media .
Latifi leaves Abu Dhabi "in the past"
Nearly two months on from the race, Latifi says that he has moved on from what happened, but is honest about the fact that he faced a difficult few days in the immediate aftermath of Abu Dhabi. "I already feel that it's kind of behind me. It's past," Latifi told Sky Sports F1 . "It was obviously a very tricky few days with everything going on afterwards, but it's part of the sport. It's kind of what I was expecting to happen, as I kind of mentioned in the [social media] post. "I'm kind of past it now."
Getting ready for the new F1 season
The 2022 F1 season kicks off in Bahrain on 18-20 March, whilst the first car launches will soon begin, with Red Bull set to unveil their new challenger on 9 February. Latifi is hopeful that the return of racing action will ensure that everybody puts the events of Abu Dhabi behind them. "For sure, once the season picks up, it gives something more important for people to talk about!" the Canadian said. "It's long in the past for me now." Latifi is about to begin his third year with Williams, and will be joined by a new teammate in the form of Alex Albon.
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