Nicholas Latifi said goodbye to Williams Racing and the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi, but the Canadian was unable to see the chequered flag after a late retirement at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Latifi had already survived contact with Haas F1 Team’s Mick Schumacher that saw him spun around into the barriers at the hairpin, but an electrical issue denied him the opportunity of finishing his last race, although he had completed enough laps to be classified.

The Canadian felt the contact with Schumacher had already put him on the back foot and left him at the back of the pack, and retiring was not the way he wanted his time in Formula 1 to end.

“The incident with Mick [Schumacher] really put us out and then we suffered an electrical issue that forced us to retire,” said Latifi.  “It’s not how I wanted to end my last one, but it is what it is.”

Latifi thanked Williams for giving him the chance to compete in Formula 1, but he felt there was a lot more he wanted to achieve during his three-years racing at the highest level of single-seater racing.

“I’m very grateful for the three years I’ve had with Williams in Formula 1,” said the Canadian.  “I’m leaving the sport feeling like I wanted to achieve and accomplish more however it doesn’t always work out like that in motorsports.

“Along the way there’s been highs and lows with many strong bonds and friendships that I’ll cherish.”

“I think starting P19 and finishing P13 is a good job” – Alexander Albon

Team-mate Alexander Albon saw the chequered flag in thirteenth, with the Thai driver enjoying his final race of the season having started at the back of the field.

In a race where he struggled with tyre degradation, especially towards the end of stints, Albon felt it was a good end to the season to move forward six places, with his opening laps in particularly strong as he gained a handful of places.

“I’m really happy with my race today and I think with such a strong start, getting passed four or five cars in those first laps, it was great,” said Albon.  “There were moments in the race where we kept hitting a degradation point and would get to 15 laps and then suffer a loss of performance, so we were forced to pit quite early.

“We did fall short at the end finishing on warn tyres, but I think starting P19 and finishing P13 is a good job, so I’m really happy.”

Albon says the team did well during the 2022 season despite only scoring eight points, with the FW44 far from the easiest car to drive.  However, everyone kept pushing and they did as much as they could with what they had.

“This year has been a massive team effort and we’ve done our best in maximising the car,” Albon said.  “We haven’t had the easiest car to drive which is no secret but I’m really proud of everyone.

“We know our weaknesses and we’ve maximised our opportunities when we were struggling, and when the car was in a decent window, that’s when we scored points. This puts us in a good place for when we have a better car next year.

“All in all, thanks to everyone at the team for all their efforts this year.”