Latifi and team-mate Alex Albon propped up the timesheets on Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit, finishing half a second off Aston Martin, which was the next-slowest team.
Latifi’s best lap time was 2.5 seconds off pace-setter Max Verstappen’s effort, while Albon was a further two-tenths of a second behind.
Williams finished eighth in last year’s constructors’ championship after scoring its first points in three seasons, and had hoped to take another big step forward under the regulation change for 2022.
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But Latifi explained after practice on Friday evening in Bahrain that Williams’ struggles in the second test meant the team had thought it would be even further behind.
“I guess it’s kind of where we expected to be after the test last week,” the Canadian said.
“To be honest, I was expecting to be further off than where we were, and I think there are some easy areas where we could find some time and try and improve the performance.
“On that aspect, I think it’s positive, but still we’re not where we want to be as a team, and we know that we know the areas where we need to improve on the car, where the limitations are that are holding us back.”
Latifi and Albon have both been struggling with front-locking when driving the Williams car, with the issue “definitely becoming more apparent” in the second Bahrain test, according to Latifi. The team also lost almost a day’s worth of running due to a fire that melted the suspension on the second day of running in Bahrain.
"There were little hints of it in Barcelona, but as is kind of always the case, the real limitations tend to be masked because it’s so cool there,” Latifi said.
“Everything always feels better in winter testing there in Barcelona. We’ve definitely already got a step of an idea of what it was going to be.
“This is probably one of the more extreme tracks in that regard to highlight the limitations, because we have a very exposed track from the wind firstly, a very rough track, obviously driving a lot in the hotter conditions at points.”
Team-mate Albon was encouraged that Williams was in a “better place” with the issues on its car compared to last week in Bahrain, saying the team was “making the right steps forward”.
“It felt better in Barcelona, but we’re getting it there,” Albon said.
“Obviously when it is tricky, it definitely has a certain driving style. There is one driving style on the car. It’s just about learning that and avoiding the front-locking more than anything else. Bit of a learning curve, but I think we’ll do our homework tonight and be stronger tomorrow.”
