After a long saga of whether Nicholas Latifi will race for Williams next year, the verdict has arrived. Not only will he not race for Williams, but he might not be racing in Formula 1 at all. This comes after rumors surfaced that the Canadian will drive in IndyCar for Chip Ganassi Racing.
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While Latifi did not have the best time racing for Williams, Nyck de Vries securing 2 points in his one-off race at Monza proved disastrous for his future. Latifi had scored no points in the season until then, and the rookie Dutchman might have exposed his lack of form at the Italian GP. Nicholas finished P15 in that race. The driver expected to replace him, American youngster Logan Sargeant, will make his FP1 debut at COTA on Friday.
Latifi is currently 20th in the drivers’ standings with 2 points to his name after scoring them in the last race in Japan. Williams’ management looking elsewhere was inevitable. While things did not work out for him in F1, fans are mighty excited to see him in the American premier racing league.
One fan reacted to the news with a hilarious meme.
Nicholas Latifi making his IndyCar debut in St Pete March 2023 (real)
One fan wants IndyCar to ask Nicholas about his peculiar obsession with Nutella.
Keep an eye on Nicholas Latifi in Indycar.
Another fan was confident that ‘Goatifi’ will do well at IndyCar.
he's about to dominate
🚨 | Nicholas Latifi has reportedly signed a contract to race in IndyCar next year with Chip Ganassi. si.com/fannation/raci…
Easy stuff for Goatifi
⚠️ | Nicholas Latifi could face some formidable teammates at Chip Ganassi in IndyCar next year: Alex Palou, Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson. [si.com]
Looks like IndyCar viewership is going to increase.
Might gonna start watching indycar because of goatifi
🚨 | Nicholas Latifi has reportedly signed a contract to race in IndyCar next year with Chip Ganassi. si.com/fannation/raci…
Yesssssss. I’m excited for this
I wouldn't be surprised if he does very well in indy.
Another user had a funny take on Latifi’s move.
Lewis Hamilton races in IndyCar: 0 Latifi: more than that Latifi goat
Latifi hasn’t performed particularly well after his crash in Abu Dhabi last season, which proved catastrophic for Lewis Hamilton‘s shot at the title. Jost Capito recently revealed that Nicholas never recovered from that incident.
Lewis Hamilton’s fans to be blamed for Nicholas Latifi’s underperformance?
The 2021 season concluded in a controversial fashion after Max Verstappen finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton to win his first title. Verstappen got the golden chance after Nicholas Latifi crashed and the incident prompted the safety car to be hauled in. Ever since the incident, Latifi was subjected to hateful comments which his team principal feels he never recovered from.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco – May 20, 2021 Williams Racing Chief Executive Officer Jost Capito in the FIA Press Conference FIA/Handout via REUTERS
Capito said, “I believe Nicky’s performance has been impacted by last year’s Abu Dhabi outcome and circumstances after that.”
He continued, “I think his performance was this year not on the level he expected of his performance himself. And we didn’t expect his performance to be like this.”
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Whatever his experience in F1, ‘Goatifi’ fans are excited to see him race in IndyCar next year and hope he will prove his worth there.