Latifi only knew about Mazepin Imola F1 contact from TV replay
Nicholas Latifi didn't know that he had collided with Formula 1 rival Nikita Mazepin until he saw a TV replay of their first lap crash at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Canadian had spun off the track at Acque Minerali on the opening lap at Imola but managed to get going again.
However, as he resumed on the run to the Variante Alta, he tagged Mazepin's front left wheel and was spun around into the wall before the chicane.
Reflecting on the incident, Latifi said that he wasn't aware that his Haas competitor was alongside him.
"When I came back on, I was staying to the left side as much as I could," said the Williams driver. "I thought that I was the last car as I saw [Sebastian] Vettel go by me and, to be honest. I didn't even see Nikita.
"Anyway there was spray and looking back at the video he would have been right in my blind spot anyway. But I was not aware he was there.
"So I actually [saw the video] not until quite a lot after the incident since I was in the Medical Centre for quite a long time, which actually just was a thing with the paper work.
"I [originally] thought I just got a bit of wheel spin and spun off because of that. So I was not aware of any contact with Nikita until quite a long time afterwards."
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW43B, spins on the opening lap
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Mazepin reckoned after the race that Latifi had not been aware he was alongside him – having spotted the Williams driver coming back on ahead of him.
"He had an issue with locking up into Turn 13," explained the Russian. "He went off, he lost three places, and came back.
"I was the car that he came back with side by side, and there was just not enough space for me. I don't think he was aware of me, because I think he thought that all the cars passed him.
"But then I was there and I just couldn't move any further. It was very fortunate that I was able to finish the race."
Latifi's early exit at Imola came after an encouraging weekend where he had shown a promising step forward in performance.
"It was very frustrating. Unfortunate," he said.
"There were going to be some opportunities. Obviously very, very difficult conditions and actually frustrated with myself that I didn't even get to participate in the race and see what could have been possible.
"But that's how racing goes sometimes."
Previous article
The German legend who raced and beat Nuvolari
Next article
Alonso: Playing catch up in F1 is no excuse for current form
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Drivers | Nicholas Latifi |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
The Barcelona practice times that prove Red Bull's title credentials, and heap pressure on Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes led the way in Friday practice for the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, but there was one big encouraging sign for Red Bull. The trouble is, it looks like making good on that gain will require its superstar driver to avoid repeating a mistake made today that left him well down the FP2 order
Why McLaren doesn’t doubt Ricciardo can escape his ‘dark’ place
Three points finishes from as many starts represents a decent opening innings on paper, but Daniel Ricciardo has endured a tough start to his McLaren career - only magnified his team-mate's excellent form. Yet both he and the team have good reason to expect a turnaround soon
What needs to “change” for Red Bull is ending Verstappen’s errors
OPINION: Going up against the dominant force of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton was always going to demand the best from Red Bull and Max Verstappen. But after making a couple more errors during the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Dutch driver showed there's a small gap he still needs to close in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight
The "subtle" Red Bull upgrades that kept it in the Portugal F1 mix
Red Bull's Portuguese Grand Prix fortunes were decidedly second best to Mercedes', but the result skews the potential that the team had at Portimao. With a new set of updates, the team looks good going forward into the rest of 2021's spicy F1 competition
Portuguese Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2021 Portuguese GP will for several drivers go down as a weekend of missed opportunities amid imperfect track conditions that caused struggles with tyre warmup. But the performances of a select few stood out from the crowd
How Hamilton took a “completely different journey” to Portugal victory
Just as he did in 2020, Lewis Hamilton had to come from behind to win the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix. Only this time there were two rivals he had to pass, among the several challenges he had to overcome, on his way to securing a 97th grand prix victory
The ‘big fish’ mentality that kept an Australian legend winning
Frank Gardner was the veteran of just eight grand prix starts. It could have been more, but why waste his talent if the cars weren't up to it? NIGEL ROEBUCK recalls the life of one of racing's great characters
Why Todt’s FIA successor could be cut from the same cloth
Jean Todt has signalled that he will not stand for re-election as FIA president. MARK GALLAGHER analyses the strong credentials of one potential successor…
