F1 star Nicholas Latifi has revealed he is taking time away from the tracks to go to university in London.
The 28-year-old Canadian has quit racing for now to study for a business degree.
Nicholas Latifi is taking a break from F1 to pursue a business degreeCredit: EPA
Latifi has enjoyed his break from racing by going on lavish holidays with his model girlfriend Sandra Dziwiszek.
He finished 20th in the driver’s championship last year with just two points.
The former Wiliams driver raced for three seasons from 2020-2022 with his highest position being 17th in 2021.
He took to social media to confirm he has slammed the breaks on his career to pursue an MBA at the London Business School.
He tweeted: “I know I’ve been quiet on social media this year. I’ve seen plenty of messages from supporters worldwide asking what I’ve been up to.
“I decided that for my immediate future, I wanted to take some time and pursue a different avenue and focus on another path.
“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.
“But I am pleased that my candidacy was accepted for a place in the MBA program at London Business School, which I will be starting in August this year.”
Latifi also expected his change of career after an unsuccessful spell in F1 to rasie a few eyebrows.
He continued: “The decision may be surprising to a lot of people. Transitioning to a different racing category might have seemed the most obvious decision.”
Latifi began racing when he was 13 years old and went through the ranks of Formula 3, Formula Renault 3.5, Sports Car racing, GP2 series and Formula Two.
He made a name for himself after finishing 2nd in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2019, leading to his breakthrough at Williams on the Formula One stage.
And Latifi has left the door open to racing once his studies are over.
He added: “This is not necessarily a goodbye to the racing world forever.”