Latifi farewell, good luck and see you around

The 28-year-old Canadian spent an unremarkable three years as a Williams pay driver, his billionaire father Michael Latifi (estimated worth circa $30-billion) bankrolled Nicolas' motorsport career, investing what is estimated to be close to if not more than $100-million, over the years, to get his son into F1 and stay there for the 61 races he competed in at the highest level.

Alas, history will never forget Latifi junior's role he had in one of the most contentious races in F1 history - the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - in which he crashed late in the race, to trigger the most controversial ending to a GP and World Championship ever witnessed. His sideways Williams will always be a reminder of that day, and that season.

What Latifi, his family and friends were subject to afterwards, insults and threats to his life were completely unacceptable and perhaps, in the end, had an influence on his decision. Whatever he did was without malice, but the evil it triggered left permanent scars on the sport, and indeed himself.

Nevertheless, on-track is where he was judged and failed. He endured two F1 seasons in which he was comprehensively beaten by teammate George Russell (now at Mercedes) and then Alex Albon showing him up on his return to F1, with Williams last year. At the same time, Latifi was not improving.

Despite the hefty backing from Sofina Foods, Williams were looking around for a replacement settling for Logan Sargeant. The American has been no better (maybe even worse) than his predecessor was. But he is a rookie.

For Latifi, the writing was on the wall after another poor season, when the F1 drivers' musical chairs for the 2023 F1 grid settled down his career in the top flight was done. But instead of pursuing a path in Indycar or the World Endurance Championship, he decided differently.

“Hey everyone, I know I’ve been quiet on social media this year,” began Latifi's statement on his Instagram this week. “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."

Perhaps intent on following in his father's footsteps, Latifi revealed: "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 thirties and early forties.

"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."

Latifi's stats show that in his 61 GP starts, he scored nine points in total. His best result seventh place at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Probably his best race, beating highly-rated teammate Russell who finished eighth on the day.