Formula 2's Ghiotto set to leave single-seaters for sportscars

Virtuosi Racing F2 driver Ghiotto has maintained throughout this season that Formula 1 has been his goal, but that if chances didn't arise he would look at the DTM and sportscar racing to establish a professional career.

His rollercoaster F2 season plus the dwindeling of available seats in F2 has made a switch to F1 unlikely for the cash-strapped driver.

The Italian has revealed that he believes his future is in sportscars after making his race debut in the discipline with the Team LNT Ginetta squad in the Fuji World Endurance Championship round last weekend.

"After four years in F2 [including one when it was called GP2], I would need to find a very good opportunity, otherwise it is time to look at something different," Ghiotto, 24, told Autosport.

"That's why I am here in Fuji, because I like this championship, but I'm looking at all categories with a roof.

"That includes the DTM, but I know it will be quite tough to get in there, but Super GT here in Japan, why not?"

Ghiotto, who has one F2 round to go at Abu Dhabi this season and can still finish second in the championship, clarified his comments by ruling out interest in other touring cars categories such as TCR, but stressed that the GT3 arena was on his list of targets for 2020.

"I'm not closing the door on anything in sportscars," he added, also explaining that his aim now is to become a professional driver.

"I want to be a proper professional driver; I want to make money from my racing.

Ghiotto didn't rule out undertaking more than one programme next year.

"There are no big clashes between the championships I am looking at, so that is one idea for sure," he said.

A return to Team LNT for Ghiotto is on the cards for round three of the WEC in Shanghai next month.

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He explained that he was working with the team on a race-by-race basis, saying that he expected to do at least one more race, "possibly two" this season.

Ghiotto was given a try-out in one of the Ginetta-AER G60-LT-P1s at the official pre-season WEC test day in Barcelona in July and set the best time for the British car.

The G60 he shared with Ben Hanley and Egor Orudzhev at Fuji was running fourth in hour five when a front brake disc exploded, resulting in an eight-minute delay in the pits and a 11th-place finish.