Nicholas Latifi says he feel ‘ready and prepared’ to make his F1 debut in Austria this weekend following the unexpected delays brought about b♎y the coronavirus pandemic.

T⛄he sole rookie in this year’s field, Latifi joins a Williams team eager to bounce back from a difficult 2019 campaign with the 2019 F2 runner-up lining up alongside George Russell in what will be one of the younger rider line-ups on the grid.

Pre-season testin🍬g back in March suggested the Williams FW43 has indeed taken a significant ✅step forward in in terms of performance, but Latifi is refusing to make any predictions after such a long period out of action.

“It goes without saying that I am extremely excited to finally make my Formula One debut! It’s definitely not been a conventional build up to the first race of the season but these past few weeks have been good getting back into the swing of things, upping my preparations, and g🦩etting back into the factory and into the groove with the team.

“I feel ready and I 😼feel prepared. It will be a bit strange with all the new protocols and it will definitely be a lot quieter without any fans. There will be a lot to get used to but we’re getting to go racing again and that’s the main thing. I can’t wait to hit the track.”

Latifi makes his F1 debut on the back of a successful route stint in Formula 2 that yielded seven wins in three seasons, finish🤪ing runner-up to Nyck de Vries in 2019.