Practice makes perfect for Canadian Nicholas Latifi.
The 23-year-old Montreal auto racer has started his third Formula 2 campaign impressively with a win and third-place finish from the season-opening event last month in Bahrain. But better consistency remains Latifi's biggest goal and that means improved practices on a circuit that is part of the ladder up to Formula 1.
"With limited track time in F2, it's important to set yourself up nicely for qualifying," Latifi said in a recent telephone interview. "Qualifying was probably my biggest weakness last year, even the previous season.
"Being able to start at the front just makes races so much easier."
Latifi won the season-opening event after qualifying fourth. He was second behind teammate Sergio Sette Camara in practice.
"The simplest reason (for wanting to start up front) is you're less likely to get involved in an accident," Latifi said. "The start is the most unpredictable part of the weekend.
"Starting near the front most of the time you're racing with quicker, more experienced and smarter guys who're going to be [vying] for the championship so they might not risk or be as silly at the start. And obviously you're around less cars so you should have a clear track in front … it's a bit safer."
And easier on tires.
"When you can run in clean air and not have it disturbed by cars ahead of you, it makes a big difference in tire management," he said. "When you start in the middle or near the back, to go forward you have to use the tires and slide a little bit more than you want whether it's for passing or defending.
"That just makes it much more difficult to manage tires properly. Starting at the front, most of the time you're not attacking or defending as much and can be just a bit more patient."
The second stop on the F2 circuit is this weekend in Azerbaijan. Latifi stands second in the drivers' standings with 35 points, just two behind Italian Luca Ghiotto.
Latifi has three wins and 14 podium finishes in 47 career F2 races. He was fifth overall in his rookie campaign before finishing ninth last season.
"Experience is definitely a big advantage in this championship," Latifi said. "Especially having familiarity with how tires react … tire management is really what F2 is about.
"Having familiarity with the team [DAMS] I've been with since coming to F2 also helps. Just understanding and being comfortable with the whole flow of the weekend itself, how it goes from free practice to qualifying to the actual races."
Latifi has also spent time in Formula 1 cockpits. He served as a test driver with Renault in 2016-17 then as a reserve driver last year with Sahara Force India. This season, he's a test-reserve driver with Williams Racing.
There's plenty of differences between the two vehicles.
"The main difference is engine power," Latifi said. "The Formula 2 car, on average, could be like a 12-second difference in lap time, which is very big considering Formula 2 cars are already quite quick.
"Obviously it's really fun to go fast in the straights [with F1 cars] but to me that's the least impressive difference. The biggest thing, really, is the amount of downforce Formula 1 cars have and grip because of the bigger tires and wider wings.
"Although I've driven Formula 1 cars and have quite a lot of seat time in them, whenever I jump into one it's like, 'Wow, this is insane. This is amazing."'
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