Possible Nicholas Latifi replacements: No. 5 – Jack Aitken
Like Nyck de Vries, Jack Aitken also made one Formula 1 start with Williams after being called upon as a late substitute, though his came under slightly different circumstances. The four-time Formula 2 race winner replaced the driver who was replacing the driver who actually missed the race.
George Russell, then competing for Williams, moved to Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.
While Aitken’s 16th place finish was nothing to write home about and teammate Nicholas Latifi was forced to retire with an oil leak, preventing a legitimate teammate comparison like de Vries had against Latifi in Monza this year, it was a solid debut weekend for the British-South Korean driver. He qualified just one spot below Latifi in 17th, and he finished the race on the lead lap.
The 26-year-old continues to serve in his role as a reserve driver for Williams. Should the team still opt to promote from within in the event that Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries aren’t available, Aitken wouldn’t be a terrible consolation prize.
Who will end up replacing Nicholas Latifi at Williams in the 2023 Formula 1 season? Will it be one of these five drivers, or will they surprise us with somebody else?