We have all been there, at one point or another in our lives.
Maybe you are driving in an unfamiliar city for the first time. Maybe it is at night, or a fog has rolled in and you are struggling to see the street signs. But regardless of the situation, we have all had that moment where we are driving around, trying to follow the GPS, and we end up making a wrong turn.
At least we never did that while driving a 1000-horsepower F1 racecar.
That brings us to Nicholas Latifi. The Formula 1 circuit is in Suzaka, Japan this week for the Japanese Grand Prix. The main storyline, beyond the impending F1 cost cap certifications, is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and his pursuit of his second-straight F1 Championship.
Yet the headline out of the practice sessions on Friday was Williams driver Nicholas Latifi. The Canadian driver was on the track for his practice session and suddenly ... decided to make a right turn:
⚠️ Make A U-Turn ⚠️
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 7, 2022
Latifi turns in before he reaches the chicane and is forced to turn back#JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/zhpvge1V4X
Even better is the video, where Latifi seems to indicate that something happened with the car, despite what we can see with our eyes ...
Oops #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/WxXC4ZDeGR
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 7, 2022
“Not sure what happened?” Nicholas, we can see your hands. I’ve never been behind the wheel of a real F1 racecar — my exploits in F1 2021 from EA Sports do not count — but we all know what it looks like when a driver makes a right-hand turn.
In fairness to Latifi, this is his first time racing at Suzaka, as the Japanese Grand Prix was canceled the past two seasons due to COVID-19. Unfortunately for him, it might be his last appearance at Suzaka, at least for a while. Williams already announced that Latifi will leave the team at the end of the season, and his status on the circuit for 2023 is in doubt. Latifi has been with Williams since 2020, and brought in just seven championship points during his run with Williams, with his highest finish coming in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
It could have been worse, however.
He could have turned into a lake:
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