Nicholas Latifi

Early life and background

Nicholas Latifi was born on 29 June 1995 in Montreal, Quebec, and grew up in the North York area of Toronto. He is the son of Michael Latifi, an Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman who is the chief executive of Sofina Foods Inc and also owns the British Virgin Islands company Nidala. His mother, Marilena Latifi, is an Italian-Canadian with Sicilian parents from the Saputo family, founders of the dairy company Saputo Inc. Latifi has three siblings: Sophia, Michael Alexander who is a voice actor, and Matthew. He attended Crescent School, an independent boys' school in Toronto, graduating in 2013 and was named to the school's Alumni Wall of Honour in 2021. Due to his demanding racing schedule, he completed much of his high school education remotely. Latifi was a relative latecomer to motorsport, beginning his karting career at the age of thirteen in 2009, which he noted contributed to his joining Formula One at 24, an age he considered definitely on the older side for a debutant. His car number, 6, was a reference to a nickname for his home city of Toronto.

Junior racing career

Latifi's path to Formula One was built over eight years in junior formulae, beginning with karting in 2009. He achieved early success by finishing as runner-up in the 2010 Canadian National Karting Championship's Rotax Junior class and winning the Florida Winter Tour championship in the Rotax DD2 class in 2012. He later made an appearance in the Shifter ROK class of the Florida Winter Tour in 2015, competing against former Formula One drivers Rubens Barrichello and Nelson Piquet Jr. His single-seater career started in 2012 with the Italian Formula Three Championship with BVM, where he placed seventh with one win and four podiums. Over the next four years, he competed extensively across multiple series in a busy 2014 season that included 53 races across six competitions. He raced in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for Carlin and Prema Powerteam, scoring a second-place finish at Silverstone in 2014, and also competed in the British Formula 3 International Series, finishing fifth in 2013 with a podium at Brands Hatch. He participated in Formula Renault 3.5 with Tech 1 Racing and Arden Motorsport, taking a second-place finish at Jerez in 2014 and finishing 11th in the 2015 standings. He also made appearances in sportscar racing, driving a Ford Mustang GT in the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain in 2014 and 2015, where he scored a fourth-place finish at Rockingham and a second place at Oulton Park.

His primary focus from 2016 onward was the GP2 Series, which was rebranded as the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017. Driving for the DAMS team across four full seasons, Latifi steadily progressed from a difficult 16th-place finish in 2016, where he scored a podium at the Barcelona season opener, to become a title contender. He earned his maiden F2 victory at the Silverstone sprint race in 2017 and finished fifth in the championship that year. In 2019, he challenged for the F2 title for much of the year, winning the first feature race at Sakhir and leading the championship after the second round. He ultimately finished as the runner-up to Nyck de Vries in the 2019 championship.

• 2017: Scored his maiden F2 victory at the Silverstone sprint race after starting third, and finished fifth in the championship with 178 points, collecting one win and nine podiums.
• 2018: Struggled with a new car specification, stating it forced him to change his natural driving instincts, but won at Spa-Francorchamps and mounted notable recovery drives in Bahrain and Baku, finishing ninth overall with 91 points.
• 2019: Mounted a sustained title challenge, winning the first feature race at Sakhir and leading the championship early, ultimately finishing as championship runner-up to Nyck de Vries with 214 points.

Formula One career with Williams

Latifi's entry into Formula One was preceded by roles as a test and reserve driver. He tested for Renault in 2016 and 2017, driving the Lotus E20 at Silverstone and the Renault R.S.17 at Barcelona and the Hungaroring. He became Force India's reserve and test driver in 2018, participating in his first F1 race weekend with a practice session in Montreal. After joining the Williams Driver Academy at the end of 2018, he became Williams' test and reserve driver for 2019, participating in six FP1 sessions. His signing to a race seat with Williams for the 2020 season came with significant financial implications for the historically successful but struggling team. Reports indicated his arrival brought substantial sponsorship from family-linked enterprises like Sofina Foods and Lavazza, as well as the Royal Bank of Canada, with figures reported as €30 million or $40 million. His father, Michael Latifi, assisted in refinancing the team's debts with HSBC, providing a crucial £28 million cash injection during a period of financial distress exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of title sponsor ROKiT. Latifi, while acknowledging the financial realities of motorsport, consistently emphasized that his on-track results in Formula 2 had legitimately earned him his place on the grid, having more than met the FIA Super License benchmarks.

Paired with George Russell, Latifi's rookie season in 2020 was challenging, as the Williams FW43 failed to score a point. He made his debut at the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing 11th after starting last due to a crash in final practice. He raced under an American license that year due to a Canadian dispute with the FIA, though he was officially treated as a Canadian. Throughout the year, he narrowly missed points on several occasions, including 11th-place finishes at the Italian and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix, the latter aided by a late safety car. He noted making his first legitimate F1 overtake on Kimi Räikkönen at Silverstone. He was outqualified by Russell 15-0 but beat him on track in two races. His 2021 season marked an improvement for both driver and team. He scored his first Formula One points with a seventh-place finish at the chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix, after qualifying 18th and avoiding a first-lap crash, a result that represented Williams' best single finish since 2017 and their first double-points finish since 2018. He added a second points finish at the rain-shortened Belgian Grand Prix, where he was classified ninth after starting ninth due to penalties for others. He achieved a career-best qualifying of 14th at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and outqualified Russell for the first time in São Paulo. The season concluded with his inadvertent starring role in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Retained for 2022, Latifi scored points once more with a ninth-place finish at a rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix. However, he was replaced by American rookie Logan Sargeant for the 2023 season, marking the end of his Formula One career. His final championship position was 20th in the 2022 season, in which he scored two points.

The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and aftermath

The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the most notable race of Nicholas Latifi's career due to its dramatic and far-reaching consequences. On lap 53 of 58, while racing Haas driver Mick Schumacher for position, Latifi lost control and crashed at turn 14, bringing out the safety car. At the time, Lewis Hamilton led the race and was poised to win a record eighth World Drivers' Championship. Race director Michael Masi's subsequent decision to allow only the lapped cars between Hamilton and title rival Max Verstappen to unlap themselves set up a final lap shootout. On much fresher tyres, Verstappen overtook Hamilton to claim his first championship. In the aftermath, Latifi publicly apologized for the crash but became the target of severe online abuse, including death threats, from a segment of angry fans. He explained on his website that while most messages were supportive, the abuse was shocking and that online accounts had also harassed his family. He received private messages of support from Hamilton and other Mercedes personnel, while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner jokingly promised him a lifetime supply of Red Bull. The incident led to an official investigation which concluded race officials had misapplied the regulations due to human error, and ultimately to Masi being replaced as race director. This single event permanently linked Latifi's name to one of the most consequential moments in modern Formula One history.

Post-Formula One career and business ventures

Upon leaving Formula One at the end of the 2022 season, Latifi made a decisive break from professional motorsport. In 2023, he enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program at London Business School, an uncommon path for a former racing driver, especially one without an undergraduate degree. He completed the two-year program and announced his graduation in 2025. That same year, he leveraged his business education to co-found Leve Agave Spirit, a mid-strength (22% ABV) agave-based spirit brand that launched in the United Kingdom. In interviews, Latifi has described his post-F1 transition candidly, noting the abrupt shift from a globally scheduled life to defining a new purpose and that athletes can be out of the sport just as quickly as they got in. His approach to Leve Agave Spirit is framed as building a serious operating company with his co-founders, distinct from a mere celebrity endorsement, reflecting the strategic mindset developed during his MBA studies. He positions the brand as an alternative to both zero-proof and high-proof spirits within the competitive athlete-backed beverage market that includes brands from Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, and Daniel Ricciardo.

Formula One race results and statistics

The following table details Nicholas Latifi's Formula One championship results across his three seasons with Williams Racing. It illustrates his progression from a point-less rookie year in 2020 to scoring in each of the subsequent two seasons. He scored his maiden points with a seventh-place finish at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and added points at the rain-affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. His qualifying record against teammate George Russell in 2020 was 15-0 in Russell's favour, though Latifi beat him on track in two races that year.

Honours, rankings and legacy

Throughout his career, Nicholas Latifi received several forms of recognition for his achievements on and off the track. His alma mater, Crescent School in Toronto, inducted him onto its Alumni Wall of Honour in 2021. Within motorsport media, his performances in junior categories were regularly noted and ranked against his peers. Motorsport.com ranked him as the 14th best junior single-seater driver in the world for 2017, predicting he could be a genuine threat for the F2 title the following year. Following his runner-up campaign in Formula 2 in 2019, Formula Scout ranked him as the 10th best junior single-seater driver globally and the 5th best racer specifically within the F2 championship that year. PaddockScout also noted at the end of his 2018 season that once he adapted to the new car, his pace was close to teammate Alex Albon's, outqualifying him in two of the last three rounds. These accolades highlighted his status as a credible talent who earned his promotion to the sport's highest level through consistent results. His legacy in Formula One is intrinsically linked to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, an event that permanently altered championship history and sparked major regulatory reviews. Beyond the track, his post-F1 path through business school and entrepreneurship provides a distinct model for career transition for professional athletes, demonstrating a planned move from the physical peak of sport to a new venture in the business world.

Questions about Nicholas Latifi

Why did Nicholas Latifi leave Formula One?

Nicholas Latifi's Formula One career concluded at the end of the 2022 season when the Williams team opted not to renew his contract, replacing him with rookie Logan Sargeant. After three seasons, Latifi decided to step away from professional motorsport entirely. He subsequently enrolled in an MBA program at London Business School in 2023, signalling a deliberate career transition away from driving. He stated that the reality of motorsport is that a driver can be out just as quickly as they got in, and he chose to proactively pursue a new chapter in business.

What is Nicholas Latifi doing now in 2025/2026?

As of 2025, Nicholas Latifi has fully transitioned to a business career. He graduated with a Master of Business Administration from London Business School that year. Concurrently, he co-founded a beverage company, launching Leve Agave Spirit, a mid-strength 22% ABV agave spirit brand in the United Kingdom. He is actively involved in this venture as a co-founder, applying the business acumen gained during his studies and treating it as a real operating company rather than just a personal brand extension.

How many points did Nicholas Latifi score in F1?

Nicholas Latifi scored a total of nine championship points during his Formula One career. He scored his first points with a seventh-place finish at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, after starting 18th and capitalizing on a first-lap crash. He added two more points finishes that season with a ninth place in Belgium, which was run entirely under safety car conditions. In his final season in 2022, he scored another two points with a ninth-place finish at the rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix.

What was Nicholas Latifi's role in the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP controversy?

On lap 53 of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Nicholas Latifi crashed while battling Mick Schumacher for position at turn 14, which brought out the safety car. This incident directly led to the race restart procedure where race director Michael Masi allowed only the lapped cars between leaders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to unlap themselves. This enabled Verstappen to close the gap and overtake Hamilton on the final lap to win the World Championship. Latifi apologized for the crash but later revealed he received severe online abuse, including death threats and harassment of his family, in the aftermath.

Was Nicholas Latifi a pay driver?

While significant sponsorship linked to his family's businesses accompanied his entry into Williams, with reports of 30 million euros or 40 million dollars from Sofina Foods, Lavazza, and the Royal Bank of Canada, Nicholas Latifi's racing credentials were substantial. He legitimately earned the required FIA Super License points by finishing as the runner-up in the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship with four wins. He consistently argued that his performance in F2 was the primary reason for his promotion, though he acknowledged the financial support helped secure the seat with the financially struggling Williams team. His father, Michael Latifi, later helped refinance the team's debts, providing an immediate 28 million pound cash injection.

Where did Nicholas Latifi go to school?

Nicholas Latifi completed his secondary education at Crescent School, an independent boys' school in Toronto, graduating in 2013. He was later added to the school's Alumni Wall of Honour in 2021. After his racing career, he pursued higher education, enrolling at London Business School in 2023 despite not having an undergraduate degree. He graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree in 2025, using this education as a foundation for his new business venture, Leve Agave Spirit.

Sources and further reading

• Nicholas Latifi (Wikipedia)
• Checking In On Nicholas Latifi, by Tiggy Valen (tiggyvalen.substack.com)
• Nicholas Latifi Races, Wins and Teams | F1 Driver | F1 History (formulaonehistory.com)
• Nicholas Latifi (fiaformula2.com)
• Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi secures Formula 1 ride with ... (stalbertgazette.com)

Checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-27.