Ex-F1 racer Max Chilton unsure over Carlin Indy Lights campaign
Max Chilton is still yet to decide whether his future lies in sportscars or a full-time move to the United States after a frustrating start to his Indy Lights campaign
The ex-Marussia Formula 1 driver signed on for a part-season in Lights with series newcomer Carlin as a toe in the water ahead of a possible move to IndyCar in the future, and has also been named to Nissan's LMP1 line-up for the World Endurance Championship.
Chilton's three Lights races to date have ended with a retirement and two recoveries from low grid positions.
He admitted that he is still on the fence about how many rounds he will enter after this weekend's race at Barber Motorsports Park.
"I'm enjoying [Indy Lights], although it hasn't gone to plan at the moment," he told AUTOSPORT.
"But I'm not here to win the championship, I'm here to do the first few rounds and see how it goes.
"I'm looking forward to seeing whether Trev [Carlin] wants to do Indy next year. But I like what I see.
"It's just hard mixing it with the LMP1, because that's my main focus and I have to miss a couple of [Lights] races."
Chilton conceded that his difficult start was a factor in his reluctance to commit to Lights long-term, but said that date clashes with sportscars are also a consideration.
"I'm not sure [how many more races I will do]," he said.
"I know I've got to miss Toronto, which is a double-header, and I've got to miss the Indy oval test and the Indy road course test. So I'm sort of on the back foot with that.
"I think I might have done the whole year if I had the dream start, but there's no way you can win a junior formula by missing two rounds and having a DNF.
"So we'll see how Barber goes, but at the moment my main focus is LMP1."
Chilton's team-mate Ed Jones is currently leading the Lights championship, having gone undefeated in the first three races.
Chilton finished fifth in Long Beach last weekend after a crash in qualifying left him starting from the back of the grid, and sits fourth in the points.
LIGHTS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Jones | 96 |
| 2 | Spencer Pigot | 69 |
| 3 | Jack Harvey | 62 |
| 4 | Max Chilton | 45 |
| 5 | Felix Serralles | 44 |
(30 points for a win)
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