- Nicholas Latifi gave the Renault Sport Formula One Team valuable technical feedback during Tuesday's official Formula 1 test at the Hungaroring, even though an unplanned engine swap scuppered plans for a show of outright speed later in the day -
Mississauga, Ont. – As part of his duties, Nicholas Latifi, Canadian Renault Sport Formula One Test Driver and INFINITI Canada ambassador, remained in Hungary after his podium-winning F2 performance last weekend, to drive the team's current R.S.17 car during the opening day of the test (Tuesday).
The Canadian completed 54 laps with a best time of 1min 20.302secs, the seventh quickest of the day. This was the second test day in the car for Nicholas, who also drove for the team at a Pirelli test in May.
Tuesday's programme was focused on aerodynamic assessments and evaluations, and Nicholas was able to provide the team with plenty of data before morning running was curtailed by a technical issue. A resulting engine swap ate into the afternoon session, but Nicholas returned to the track for the final hour to experiment with different settings and gather more data.
The 22-year-old said: "After the Pirelli test in Barcelona I was really looking forward to getting out in the car again. Okay, the delay was a bit frustrating but 54 laps in a current-spec F1 car is more good experience and I really enjoyed the seat time."
"The main positive is that we were able to complete the team's testing objectives for aero development. The car felt great and I hope I gave the team all the feedback required."
Alan Permane, Renault Sport Formula One Team sporting director said: "Nicholas did a good job on his second time in the R.S.17. In the morning we focused on aero elements around the rear wheels and he gave us good feedback. Unfortunately, we had an unscheduled engine change at lunchtime which meant a modified run programme for the afternoon."
Toronto, Ontario native Nicholas 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. Nicholas' 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 and INFINITI Canada ambassador.
Latifi most recently concluded the first-half of the FIA F2 Championship with impressive results. Fresh from his first F2 victory at Silverstone earlier this month, Canada's Nicholas Latifi continued his stellar form in the FIA Formula 2 Championship by scoring P2 and P6 finishes during a pair of thrilling races in Hungary this past weekend. He is now in fourth place in the FIA Formula 2 Championship driver standings.
"It is a positive set of results to take into the summer break. I've also reduced the gap to the third-placed driver in the championship, which is great," Nicholas said.
"All of us at INFINITI Canada are proud of Nicholas Latifi's impressive performance in the first half of the FIA Formula 2 Championship and are happy to see him getting more seat time in the Renault R.S.17 Formula 1 car at the Hungaroring this week," said Stephen Lester, managing director, INFINITI Canada. "We look forward to seeing him build on this experience when the championship resumes in August."
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