Nicholas Latifi relish Formula 2 Championship challenge

Born in Toronto in 1995, Nicholas Latifi will be competing in the Formula 2 Championship with DAMS Racing this year while also playing the role of reserve and test driver for the Force India Formula 1 team.

Last season, Latifi scored nine podiums and a maiden victory in the F2 championship, setting four fastest laps on his way to fifth place in the final standings. This weekend, he and the other competitors in the series will be driving the brand new F2 car powered by a 3.4-litre, V6 turbocharged engine.

The 22-year-old missed the first three-day test at the Paul Ricard circuit in France through illness but got his first taste of the new car at a pre-season test in Bahrain last month.

“After all the pre-season preparation, I can't wait to go racing again,” Latifi declared said. “Missing the first test wasn't ideal, and there are more unknowns going into this first race that I would like, but in general I'm feeling quite confident. My fitness is back up to 100%.”

Latifi knows what to expect in Bahrain, especially on a road course built in the middle of the desert. “Bahrain is one of the toughest races we have all year, and probably the biggest challenge in terms of managing tires. That was one of my strengths last year, and in testing, so I'm hoping to turn that to my advantage,” he said.

“The different track conditions we will face on Friday is another part of the challenge,” the Canadian continued.

“We practice in the middle of the day when conditions are scorching hot. But qualifying is at night under floodlights, when the temperature will have dropped dramatically and we'll be on the softer compound tire. Last year there was about 4.5 seconds difference between practice and qualifying, and that's quite a big jump to make in only a handful of laps. That's a special feature of this race and I'm hoping my experience last year will help me cope with it. Knowing where I am now, compared to last year, I'm quite confident I can aim for the podium in both races.”