Williams driver Nicholas Latifi will make his first appearance in a Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

Latifi made his F1 debut in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of that season and cancelled both the 2020 and 2021 Canadian Grand Prix events.

Montréal-born Latifi said: “Getting the opportunity to compete at home and seeing all the Canadian fans will be a great feeling.”

The 26-year-old has struggled with the new 2022 cars, but was optimistic his FW44 would be competitive on the straights, although he added: “Some corners may not be particularly well suited to our car.”

Thai driver Alex Albon, who raced in the last Canadian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) said: “Canada is a cool circuit and it’s great to come back.”

Albon, 26, has scored points on two occasions this season, having returned to a full-time drive after spending 2021 on the sidelines.

The former Red Bull driver spoke of the exciting challenge the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve posed, saying: “If you’re good in chicanes, you tend to go pretty well here. You’ve also got the walls which make it really exciting to drive.”

Williams are currently bottom of the constructors table with three points, 12 behind Haas and Aston Martin, thanks to Sebastian Vettel’s sixth place finish in Azerbaijan in the previous race.