Nicholas Latifi has announced he is stepping away from motorsport to pursue a different career path, in a life update published on Twitter.
The Canadian was last seen behind the wheel in Formula 1 for Williams Racing, parting ways with the British team at the end of the 2022 season.
After taking some time off social media, the 28-year-old returned to declare he is pursuing an MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree at London Business School (LBS).
Latifi’s Career Change
Latifi hadn’t raced in the entirety of 2023 so far, following a difficult final year for Williams in which he scored just two points.
Making his Formula 1 debut at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, Latifi competed for the nine-time constructors’ champions for three seasons, scoring nine points before being replaced by American rookie, Logan Sargeant, ahead of the 2023 season.
Life Update!
I wanted to let everyone know what I’ve been up to and what my plans are for the future. pic.twitter.com/NJKHISrtgd
— Nicholas Latifi (@NicholasLatifi) July 18, 2023
The update, posted to Twitter, confirms it was intentional to have a break from racing this year:
“I decided very early on in the year that I wouldn’t have any racing plans for 2023.
“It definitely felt very strange not having the same routine I’d been in for over half my life. Knowing that I wouldn’t be behind the wheel of a race car this year, I had obviously begun to think of what could be next for me.”
Montreal-born Latifi acknowledges that a move to another category of motorsport would have been the natural move, however, he has decided to prepare for life for his post-racing future.
On his decision to focus on business, the driver with 61 Grand Prix starts added:
“Growing up, I always had a keen interest in the world of business, and I always say it was something I would have studied at university, had I not gone into racing.
“With that in mind, and knowing I might be taking a break from racing, I decided I wanted to pursue an MBA degree and focus on something that would transform the next phase of my life.
“The decision may seen surprising to a lot of people. However, I always knew there would be a life post-racing at some point, and I decided that now might be a good time to prepare myself for that.”
A troubled racing past
The Canadian received death threats following the Abu Dhabi finale in 2021, after his late crash brought out the Safety Car.
FIA race director Michael Masi incorrectly followed the restart procedure, denying Lewis Hamilton a record-breaking eighth world championship.
A torrent of abuse ensued, which became so extreme that Latifi hired bodyguards for a trip to London later that year.
Will he return to motorpsort?
Despite a difficult spell in the sport, the 28-year-old has watched every F1 race this year, and is not ruling out a return to motorsport in the future:
“This is not necessarily a goodbye to the racing world forever.
“Racing has been in my life since the age of 13 and is still something I am extremely passionate about.
“I haven’t missed an F1 race this season! However, I felt like this was the right time to explore other avenues in my life.”
Latifi will begin his degree in August, with his candidacy place accepted at LBS after a five-month process.
