MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada – Canadian Renault Sport Formula One Test Driver and INFINITI Canada ambassador Nicholas Latifi unleashed his street fighting skills to secure the first double podium of his FIA Formula 2 Championship career last weekend in Baku, rising to fifth in the drivers' table.
Nicholas returned to Azerbaijan's Baku City Circuit, the scene of what he described as his "worst outing by far" of 2016. He immediately demonstrated a renewed sense of confidence, and his love for street circuits was apparent as he lapped eighth-quickest during an incident free practice session. Qualifying was even more of an interrupted affair, punctuated by three red flag periods, but P3 on the grid behind the wheel of his DAMS Racing machine equalled the Canadian's best-ever performance in the fiercely-disputed Formula 1 feeder series.
"Compared to last year, the situation is night-and-day," said Latifi. "Race pace was clearly my weak link in 2016, but we did a lot of work over the winter to try to get to the bottom of that and it seems we've turned things around. Now we need to keep pushing to improve the car so we can get higher up the podium and win some even bigger trophies."
Latifi is well-known in the global motorsport community, having competed successfully in karts, Formula 3, Formula Renault 3.5 and this season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with the team DAMS. His budding professional racing career spans the globe, as he has competed with distinction in Canada, Italy, Great Britain, New Zealand, USA and Europe. His most recent milestone is acting as a test driver for Renault Sport Formula One Team.
"On behalf of INFINITI Canada and its employees, I want to congratulate Nicholas Latifi on his success this weekend," said Stephen Lester, managing director, INFINITI Canada. "Nicholas' tireless commitment to furthering his career and honing his natural talent is evident in his role as test driver for Renault Sport Formula One Team, and we are thrilled to have a Canadian representing our brand."
To learn more about Nicholas Latifi, please visit: NicholasLatifi.com.
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