Latifi has hired bodyguards since his crash in Abu Dhabi
Nicholas Latifi revealed, following the unveiling of the new Williams FW44, that he had hired a security team after his crash in Abu Dhabi and received support from Lewis Hamilton regarding the death threats he received.
This crash in Abu Dhabi just a few laps before the end of the Grand Prix caused chaos between the FIA and the race directors of Red Bull and Mercedes teams, resulting in a bizarre situation and leading to Max Verstappen’s victory.
The critics of the Red Bull driver or the pro-Hamilton fans therefore saw Nicholas Latifi as the perfect executioner. After receiving several death threats in the following days, the Canadian driver had then published a statement to report this situation. He revisited this information on Tuesday, explaining that he has since hired a security team for his travels.
« It’s something we have considered. It seems like malicious people, but in reality you don’t know how real these threats are.
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« It can only be one person who decides to act out of a million threats for it to become very serious: a slightly drunk fan at the airport, a guy who is a drug addict, or a guy with extreme opinions…
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So back in London after a few days, I hired a security team depending on what I was doing, especially for going on winter holidays.
Concerned about this issue, Lewis Hamilton contacted Latifi a few days after his statement to discuss the matter.
« He sent me a message afterwards.
» Does he confirm?
« In return for these threats, I received many thoughtful messages from team members or guys from other motorsports, and it was amazing and very encouraging on their part.
I know that it’s not the first time it happens in these circumstances. I know that recently, some English players were involved after missing penalties at the Euro.
Morally, it is our duty to spread this message on social media and to explain that it should not be done. We must work on it.
