Nicholas Latifi

Biography of F1 driver Nicholas Latifi

Nicholas Latifi embarked on his motorsport career at the age of 13, a relatively late start compared to most of his peers. However, this didn't hinder him from achieving the status of a full-time Formula 1 driver 11 years later.

As the son of Michael Latifi, an Iranian-Canadian businessman serving as the CEO of Sofina Foods, Latifi entered the F1 series after consolidating his position in Formula 2 in 2019, securing the runner-up spot in the final standings behind Nyck de Vries.

Entering his third F1 season, Latifi aims to continue his progression while contributing to the advancement of the Williams team up the grid. Here's a comprehensive overview of Nicholas Latifi's journey.

Karting career and F3

Latifi's karting career began at the relatively late age of 13 in 2009. Finishing runner-up in the Rotes Junior class of the Canadian National Karting Championship, he continued competing in Martin until 2012, when he won the Florida Winter Tour Championship in the Rotes DD2 class. He made one last appearance in the Shifter ROK class of the Florida Winter Tour in 2015.

The Canadian's single-seater debut came at the 2012 Italian Formula 3 Championship with BVM, where he finished the season in seventh place. The following year, Latifi took part in the Toyota Racing Series and ended up ninth.

Latifi took part in a full F3 European Championship season for Carlin in 2013, finishing the campaign in 15th with his best result - a fifth place - coming both at Silverstone and the Red Bull Ring. He also competed in the British Formula 3 International Series and the 2013 Masters of Formula 3 race, finishing fifth and seventh respectively.

A move to Prema Powerteam alongside Esteban Ocon followed for the 2014 European Formula 3 season, with Latifi finishing 10th after missing the final round due to participating in Formula Renault 3.5. The Canadian took part in the final three rounds for Tech 1 Racing, finishing second in the final race at Jerez and then moving to Arden Motorsport for a full campaign in 2015. He ended the season 11th in the standings.

After taking part in a few races for Hilmer Motorsport in the 2014 GP2 series, and four rounds for MP Motorsport the following year, Latifi got a full-time seat at DAMS alongside Alex Lynn in 2016. His best finish - a second place - came at the opening race in Barcelona. He followed that up with seventh in the Sprint Race, though he only managed two more points finishes en route to 16th place in the standings, over 100 points behind teammate Lynn.

GP2 becomes Formula 2

The Formula 2 Championship replaced the GP2 Series in 2017, and Latifi retained his position at DAMS alongside new teammate Oliver Rowland. Following a lackluster 2016 season, the Canadian showed significant improvement, securing his first podium with a third-place finish in the Sprint Race in Barcelona. Latifi achieved his maiden victory at Silverstone, marking his first win in any series since 2012. Finishing the season in fifth with 178 points, he trailed Rowland by 13 points.

Teamed up with Alex Albon in 2018, Latifi faced setbacks. Despite a podium in Baku, he secured his second F2 win at Spa-Francorchamps. However, he concluded the season in ninth place with 91 points, trailing teammate Albon by a substantial 121-point margin.

Continuing with DAMS for a fourth season in 2019, this time alongside Sergio Sette Camara, Latifi had a strong start, winning three of the first five races and leading the championship by 30 points over third-placed Nyck de Vries. However, a challenging performance in Monaco, finishing 12th and 10th, allowed De Vries to narrow the gap to just one point. Despite a victory in the Feature Race in Hungary, Latifi finished as the runner-up to De Vries in the final standings.

F1 beginnings and Williams seat

Latifi joined Renault as their test driver for the 2016 season, completing 140 laps in the Renault-powered Lotus E20 in May of that year, marking his initial exposure to Formula 1. His first encounter with a car in active use came a year later when he drove a Renault R.S.17 for 141 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

For the 2018 season, Force India enlisted Latifi as their test and reserve driver. He made his debut in a Grand Prix weekend during Free Practice 1 of the Canadian Grand Prix and participated in four more FP1 sessions that season. Latifi continued in the same role for Williams in 2019, taking part in six FP1 sessions throughout the year.

In 2020, Williams elevated Latifi to a full-time race seat, replacing Robert Kubica alongside George Russell. He made his debut at the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing 11th after nine cars retired, and qualified 15th for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the only instance he advanced to Q2 that season.

Latifi's first retirement occurred at the Tuscan Grand Prix, where he was involved in a multi-car accident after the Safety Car restart. Ultimately, he concluded his debut season in 21st place in the Drivers' Championship, with Williams finishing the campaign without scoring any points.

Despite the challenging first F1 season, Williams retained Latifi alongside Russell for the 2021 season.

Second season ends in drama

Latifi's second season in Formula 1 didn't get off to the best start, with a DNF at the season-opening race in Bahrain followed by another non-finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix following contact with the Haas of Nikita Mazepin.

The Canadian eventually scored his first points in F1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix by finishing P7. It proved to be an emotional day for the Williams team, as Russell also claimed his debut points for the Grove-based squad.

Latifi went on to take another point at the rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix. The torrential weather conditions resulted in the event only running for one full lap behind the Safety Car, and half points were awarded as a result. Latifi finished in ninth, meaning that he earned one point from the weekend.

The latter stages of the year proved to be challenging for Williams, and there were no further points finishes for Latifi, whose next-best result was a P11 at the Italian Grand Prix.

It was at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Latifi hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Canadian crashed out of the race just a few laps from the end, which then triggered a Safety Car period. This dramatically affected the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen able to pit for fresh tyres and overtake Hamilton on the last lap, handing the Dutchman the World Championship.

Following the controversial events, Latifi revealed that he had received "hate, abuse and even death threats" on social media.

The Williams driver finished the 2021 campaign in 17th in the World Championship, with seven points to his name. He and Russell also helped Williams to secure eighth in the Constructors' Championship, a step forward from the squad's pointless 2020 season.

A third year with Williams in 2022

Latifi will continue with the Williams outfit into his third year in Formula 1. He is joined by a new teammate in the form of Alex Albon, with the Thai driver replacing the Mercedes-bound Russell.

Albon returns to the grid following a year on the sidelines as Red Bull's test and reserve driver, and Latifi believes that they will each push each other hard.

The Canadian has also praised Jenson Button's input, as the former F1 driver continues in his role as a senior advisor to Williams.