Nicholas Latifi makes first public statement since retirement

Ex-Formula 1 driver Nicholas Latifi has confirmed his graduation from business school in the 30-year-old’s first public statement since retiring from motorsport.

The Canadian announced his career change midway through 2023 after leaving F1 at the end of 2022, which capped off three seasons in the championship.

Latifi spent all three years at Williams where he scored nine points in total with his best championship finish being 17th in 2021 - George Russell and then Alex Albon were his team-mates.

It was also in 2021 that he caused a safety car in the Abu Dhabi finale by crashing late on, in which the subsequent restart led to Max Verstappen controversially beating Lewis Hamilton to the world title.

Regardless, soon after leaving F1 he knew he wanted to leave racing, so eventually attained a place at the London Business School to study for a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

On Tuesday, Latifi posted via social media: “It’s been a while since I last posted. I wanted to take some time away to fully focus on my MBA at London Business School and really enjoy the experience free of distractions. I’m happy to share that I graduated a few months ago!

Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44

Photo by: Williams F1

“Having not done an undergrad degree, I had no idea what to expect, and will admit I was a little nervous at first. But, I quickly discovered how warm and welcoming the LBS community is and built friendships I know will last a lifetime.

“These past two years have been among the most rewarding of my life, filled with learning, growth, new experiences, and memories I will carry with me forever. Excited for what is ahead. More to come soon.”

Latifi took the traditional route to F1 having started in karting before making his single-seater debut in the 2012 Italian Formula 3 Championship, where he finished seventh. 

From there, he went all the way up to F2, in which his best result along that journey came in his final F2 campaign in 2019 as he finished runner-up to Nyck de Vries while scoring four wins.

It was also the year he joined the Williams set-up, laying the foundations for his eventual F1 drive, though his promotion was also helped by the large backing he brought to the British outfit.

His family is very successful in business as father Michael reached billionaire status after founding Sofina Foods Inc, which is a food processing company that owns several subsidiaries.