Nicholas Latifi quits motorsport for new career

Latifi wants to take up the study of business, having announced on social media that he's already begun his journey.

“Hey everyone, I know I’ve been quiet on social media this year,” Latifi said in a statement on Instagram.

“I’ve seen plenty of messages from supporters worldwide asking what I’ve been up to and what my plans will be for the future. I decided very early on in the year that I wouldn’t have any racing plans for 2023. 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, whether that involved racing or something completely different.

“Growing up, I always had a keen interest in the world of business, and I always said it was something I would’ve studied at university had I not gone the racing route. With that in mind, and knowing I might be taking a break from racing, I decided that I want to pursue an MBA degree and focus on something that would transform the next phase of my life. An MBA was always something that I had contemplated doing post-racing life, even if that had been into my late '30s and early '40s.”

Latifi has confirmed however that this might not be a permanent departure from racing, saying also that “this is not necessarily a goodbye to the racing world forever”. 

“Racing has been my life since the age of 13 and is still something I am extremely passionate about. I haven’t missed watching an F1 race yet this season! However, I felt like this year was the right time to explore and pursue other avenues in my life.”

He's not the first F1 driver to take a turn away from driving following departure from the sport. Just this past weekend at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, Lanzante debuted a Porsche 930 TAG Turbo featuring the engine from Stefan Johansson's F1 car. It also featured an art paint scheme, as made by Stefan himself, given his post-F1 career choice was to be an artist.

Obviously, we know and love the likes of Martin Brindle, Jonny Herbert and David Coulthard in regular presenter roles din F1. Jenson Button meanwhile has fingers in multiple pies, from being a representative of Lotus to having a hand in the Radford coachbuilt sportscar project. Niki Lauda meanwhile, famously started an airline.

So the possibilities are endless. Latifi might not have been a dab hand behind the wheel, but we'll be curious to see if any innate skill shows itself elsewhere, in business, in the future. Latifi F1 team for a 2030 debut, anyone? 

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.