Formula 1: Nicholas Latifi has reached the point of no return

After the performance of Nyck de Vries in Monza, it is impossible for Williams to justify the return of Nicholas Latifi for the 2023 Formula 1 season.

There are six seats without confirmed drivers for the 2023 Formula 1 season, and four of those seats are at teams that already have one driver signed for next year.

One of those teams, Williams, recently announced that Alex Albon had signed a multi-year extension to remain with the organization for the foreseeable future. But Nicholas Latifi, who has driven for the team since 2020, has been on the hot seat.

Even coming into the 2022 season, it was seen as somewhat of a foregone conclusion that the 27-year-old Canadian would not be back with the team next year.

Albon’s strong performances, including three point-scoring efforts in his first season with the team — and first season in Formula 1 since 2020 — and the fact that he was rewarded with an extension further fueled the idea that Latifi would not be back.

But the team recently informed Latifi that he still has a chance to return in 2023.

However, following this past Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza, there is no way to justify not signing somebody new to pair alongside Albon for 2023.

Albon was ruled out of this 53-lap race around the 11-turn, 3.6-mile (5.794-kilometer) road course in Monza, Italy with appendicitis, and it was Nyck de Vries who was called upon as his late replacement.

De Vries outqualified Latifi and started the race in eighth place, a position which was admittedly bolstered by a litany of other drivers receiving grid penalties. But he did still advance to Q2 in his first ever Formula 1 qualifying session, and he started the race two spots ahead of Latifi, who was eliminated in Q1.

In the race itself, de Vries was able to hang with the pack and didn’t make any crucial mistakes. He ran in the top 10 for much of the event, and he took the checkered flag in ninth place, giving him two points in his Formula 1 debut — with the team that sits in a distant last in the constructor standings and had scored a total of just four points in the season’s first 15 races.

While de Vries matched Albon’s best Williams result in only his first start, Latifi finished six places behind in 15th.

Even if Williams can’t sign de Vries, who has been rumored as a possible Fernando Alonso replacement at Alpine if Alpine can’t land AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, a possibility which hinges solely on whether Colton Herta is granted an FIA Super Licence, they are in a position where they simply need to sign a faster second driver.

Believe it or not, they might not actually have the slowest car on the grid right now. Yet Latifi hasn’t scored a point in over a year.

We know that McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo is looking for a new ride, and Haas’ Mick Schumacher may find himself in a similar situation. Formula 2 driver Logan Sargeant has also been mentioned as a possibility, and de Vries has as well.

Even if they only have access to the “leftovers”, Williams can still make an impact in the driver market with a quality signing.

Unfortunately for Latifi, it’s simply not sensible for the Grove-based team to try to justify giving him a fourth season in the car.