F1's forgotten driver breaks two-year silence with major career update
Former F1 driver Nicholas Latifi makes his first public statement in more than two years.
Ex-F1 driver Nicholas Latifi has ended a two-year silence since quitting motorsport with a major update on his new career.
The 30-year-old Canadian announced midway through 2023 that he was changing careers and stepping away from motorsport in order to study for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at London Business School.
Latifi has now confirmed he has graduated from business school.
“It’s been a while since I last posted,” Latifi wrote on a social media post.
“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!
“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.”
Nicholas Latifi’s low-profile since F1 exit
Latifi has kept a low profile ever since leaving F1 at the end of the 2022 season.
Latifi’s F1 career was best remembered for the inadvertent role he played in determining the outcome of the 2021 world championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The then-Williams driver crashed with five laps remaining of the season-ending race, resulting in the Safety Car that ultimately led to Max Verstappen beating Lewis Hamilton to the world title in hugely controversial circumstances.
Latifi revealed that he hired bodyguards to protect him after receiving death threats following the end of the season.
"Going back to the race weekend, as soon as the chequered flag dropped, I knew how things were likely to play out on social media,” Latifi wrote in a statement in December 2021.
"The fact that I felt it would be best if I deleted Instagram and Twitter on my phone for a few days says all we need to know about how cruel the online world can be.
"The ensuing hate, abuse, and threats on social media were not really a surprise to me as it's just the stark reality of the world we live in right now. I'm no stranger to being talked about negatively online, I think every sports person who competes on the world stage knows they're under extreme scrutiny and this comes with the territory sometimes.
"But as we've seen time and time again, across all different sports, it only takes one incident at the wrong time to have things completely blown out of proportion - and bring out the worst in people who are so-called 'fans' of the sport. What shocked me was the extreme tone of the hate, abuse, and even the death threats I received.”
Latifi scored nine points across three seasons at Williams, recording a best result of seventh place at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
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Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
