Name: Williams: Off Grid | Emilia Romagna GP
Uploaded: 2022-04-28T17:44:58.240Z
Description: An exclusive look inside our weekend in Imola

Williams: Off Grid returns as Formula One heads back to Europe for the fourth race of the season.

The iconic Imola circuit was our destination and here's what went down during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend.

Emilia Romagna 2022

Practice 1

Qualifying

Practice 2

Sprint

Race

Williams

Back for his third season in Formula One, Alex Albon is the new face in our Race Driver line-up for 2022.

Born in London, the Thai-British racer will return to the grid for this exciting new era in F1 after spending the last 12 months as Test and Reserve Driver for Red Bull Racing, alongside a DTM campaign.

Alex’s motorsport journey began at the age of eight when he stepped into the world of karting, with almost immediate success.

He became a multiple champion at both the British and European levels, including claiming the 2010 CIK-FIA World Cup in the KF3 category and winning the CIK-FIA European Championship that year, also in the KF3 category.

In 2012 he moved into single-seaters, spending several seasons competing in Formula Renault 2.0 with a best finish of third overall in the 2014 Eurocup category.

Next came the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2015, finishing seventh overall and stepping onto the podium five times.

Alex kept climbing the ladder at a rapid rate, moving into the GP3 Series the following year and narrowly missing out on the title, ending the year runner-up to Charles Leclerc with four wins and seven podium finishes.

Two consecutive years in FIA Formula 2 saw Alex claim third in the championship in 2018, only beaten by George Russell and Lando Norris.

That precipitated a move into Formula One with Alex drafted into Scuderia Toro Rosso for 2019.

A number of eye-catching performances saw him promoted to Red Bull Racing after just 12 races, where he remained for 2020 scoring two podium finishes and finishing the season seventh overall.

He would make history by becoming the first driver to secure a podium finish in Formula One whilst racing under the Thai flag.

The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) provided a new challenge for Alex, one that he quickly adjusted to, finishing sixth in the overall standings with one win and four podium finishes to his name.

In 2022, Alex's teammate at Grove will be his former DAMS colleague Nicholas Latifi.

Alex Albon

Now into his third season in Formula One with Williams Racing, Nicholas Latifi is one half of our Race Driver line-up for 2022.

After earning a promotion from his role of Reserve Driver in 2020, the 26-year-old who hails from Montreal, Canada, scored the first points of his F1 career at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

His motorsport journey began in karting and after earning multiple titles, he moved to Europe in 2012 to pursue his racing dream.

After competing in the three most competitive Formula 3 Championships on the continent - European, Italian and British series - he soon started to progress up the chain.

Formula Renault 3.5 followed in 2015, honing his speed, skill and maturity to make the next step into GP2 the following year.

On his debut race in the category at Barcelona, he secured a podium finish for his DAMS team, an outfit with whom he would remain for the next three seasons.

The 2017 season saw the series rebranded as Formula 2, with Nicholas scoring a maiden race win at Silverstone alongside nine podiums and four fastest laps.

Another victory was to follow in 2018, this time at Spa-Francorchamps, whilst also combining his Formula 2 responsibilities with the role of Reserve and Test Driver for Racing Point Force India F1 Team.

Nicholas’ most successful year to date came during 2019 when his four wins and eight podium finishes saw him finish P2 in the Formula 2 drivers’ championship standings.

This year also saw Nicholas named as Williams Racing’s official Reserve Driver, but it wouldn’t be long before the Canadian found himself on the Formula One grid.

His rookie season came in 2020, partnering young prodigy George Russell who would continue to be his teammate until the end of 2021.

Williams: Off Grid | Emilia Romagna GP

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