Nicholas Latifi is out to build on his FIA Formula 2 Championship lead this weekend when the series reaches Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Canadian has taken the championship initiative, claiming two victories from the opening events in Bahrain and Azerbaijan.
He holds a 19-point lead in the title battle on a total of 62 points and is eyeing more success at the Spanish circuit where he has taken multiple podium finishes during his F2 career.
But the 23-year-old is taking nothing for granted.
“Leading the championship is definitely a good feeling, but we still have to keep our feet on the ground,” he said. “We’re only four races in and we have 20 more to go.
“It does bring confidence to me and the team that we’re going about things in the right way, everything we have been doing is paying off, that’s definitely good.”
Latifi, who also holds the position of ROKiT Williams Racing Formula 1 reserve driver, is hoping he can pull further clear of the chasing pack this weekend.
“Going into Barcelona, the goal is to extend the championship lead,” he explained.
“It’s important to score consistently, stay out of trouble, and keep racking up the points. Hopefully, that consistency will play a key part by the time we get to the end of the season.”
The Formula 2 field visited Barcelona during pre-season testing in March but warmer weather means conditions are likely to be vastly different when the field rolls into the Catalan capital.
“Barcelona is the first European track of the season and also the first track that most of the drivers will have driven at before,” Latifi said.
“We did winter testing there, albeit in different conditions, so I think the field will be a bit closer than in Bahrain and Baku. Baku was typically incident-filled and in Bahrain we had crazy tyre degradation, so I don’t think it’ll be anything like those races.
“We’ll see what things we can apply from winter testing, but we have to be a bit careful because the conditions will have changed. That said, our prior experience can only be a positive.”
Nicholas Latifi’s F2 campaign is supported by Royal Bank of Canada, Lavazza and Sofina.
