Nicholas Latifi

The Canadian driver has often found himself on the wrong end of a number of situations and that has visibly taken a toll on his confidence.

Nicholas Latifi was a victim of online abuse at the end of the 2021 season. (Image Credit: Twitter/@NicholasLatifi)
By Nilavro Ghosh | May 12, 2022 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Formula One is a gruelling sport which is not always kind to every single driver that finds thelselves on the grid. While some make it to the top of the mountain thanks to years and years of training and a bit of natural talent, some are faced with a lot of bad luck and just cannot seem to get their groove going. A prime example of this scenario is Nicholas Latifi. As of 2022, Latifi is a part of the Williams F1 team and so far, his F1 career has been one to forget. The Canadian driver has often found himself on the wrong end of a number of situations and that has visibly taken a toll on his confidence. Due to his poor run of form, there were rumours coming from the Williams’ paddock that the team was in the hunt for a replacement driver. The Canadian also found himself on the receiving end of a number of threats after the end of the 2021 season as it was his crash that brought out the Safety Car, eventually resulting in one of the most controversial endings in F1.

Nicholas Latifi before F1

The Canadian was a little late to the game as he began his karting when he was 13 years old. With BVM, he made his single-seater debut in the 2012 Italian Formula Three Championship. He finished the season in seventh place, with one win and three podium finishes at the Vallelunga Circuit. Latifi raced for Tech 1 Racing in the final three rounds of the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, finishing second in the final race at Jerez. He then switched to Arden Motorsport, where he participated for the entire 2015 season, and finished in eleventh place.

Latifi made his GP2 series debut at the 2014 Yas Marina round, replacing Daniel Abt at Hilmer Motorsport. For 2017, the GP2 Series was renamed Formula 2, and the Canadian was back with DAMS, this time alongside Oliver Rowland. He finished the season in fifth position, two places and 13 points behind his colleague, with 178 points.

In 2018, he returned to DAMS, this time with future Formula One competitor Alexander Albon. Latifi finished the season in 9th position, six spots and 121 points behind Albon. In 2019, the Canadian stayed at DAMS for the fourth consecutive season. He finished the season as runner-up in the championship, with four wins, four other podium finishes, and four fastest laps. It was by far his most successful year in motor racing.

F1 debut and teams

For the 2016 season, Latifi has been hired as Renault’s new test driver. In May of that year, he drove a Formula One vehicle for the first time in a test at Silverstone, completing 140 laps in the Renault-powered Lotus E20. In 2018, he was a Force India reserve test driver, and in 2019, he was a Williams reserve test driver. Latifi replaced Robert Kubica as a racing driver for the 2020 season, partnering former Formula 2 racer George Russell at Williams.

The Canadian finished his rookie season in 21st place in the drivers’ standings, with neither he nor the Williams team scoring any points. The team has decided to keep the Canadian for the 2021 season. He earned his first F1 points in Hungary that year, finishing eighth just ahead of teammate Russell after running as high as third. After Sebastian Vettel was disqualified for a fuel issue, Latifi was promoted to seventh.

At the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP in 2021, Latifi’s crash brought out a safety car and controversial decision hence by race director Michael Masi saw Max Verstappen edge Lewis Hamilton to the Driver’s Championship. The Canadian was subject to hate messages and threats on social media since, something he had publicly called out at the time.

Career Stats

Races44
Wins0
Points7
Podiums0
Poles0

Nicholas Latifi net worth

As per reports, Latifi’s net worth is valued at USD 1 million dollars. The Canadian is a bought driver in F1, much like former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin. Nicholas is the son of Canadian businessman Michael Latifi, who is the Chairman and CEO of Sofina Foods, which is also a sponsor for Williams. Sofina Foods, Latifi’s sponsor, helped develop Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s groundbreaking Women & Babies Program in 2008. Sunnybrook’s notion of how to enhance baby-parent attachment when babies require incubators was shared by the Latifi family. In 2008, they launched the Sofina & Amici Golf Classic, a family-friendly golf tournament that has collected over USD 3.7 million for charity.

Nicholas Latifi girlfriend

Latifi is currently in a relationship with Polish model Sandra Dziwiszek. Sandra Dziwiszek was born on March 23, 1994, to Polish parents Alicja and Piotr Dziwiszek. Sandra was raised in Portugal with her two siblings, a brother and a sister. She came to London to pursue a legal degree shortly after graduating from high school. Dziwiszek earned a master’s degree in law from London in 2017, although she kept her options open about her career.