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Luca Ghiotto
L
uca Ghiotto is the only Italian
driver to be confirmed for the 2014
World Series Renault 3.5, and so
far the situation is not going to
change. It is quite a responsibility for a
rookie, but this Italian driver is used to
deal with pressure. He's coming from
two hotly-contested seasons where he
ended as the runner-up. In both cases
he settled for second at the end of last-
gap fights decided in the last round of
the season. After three years in the
developmental championships (F.Abarth
and F.Renault 2.0) he has now signed
for Draco and it will be a big step for
him. On the other hand, he proved he's
ready for the task as he put together
some great runs in the 2013 postseason
tests. As he stopped by for Dallara
Magazine, Ghiotto drew a balance of his
career so far, and talked about his
expectations for 2014.
How do you feel after the
announcement? Did it come as a
natural consequence of the good
form showed last November at
Alcaniz?
"Well, yes, let's say that it all began
with that test. On one hand, the
performance showed that I was ready for
the jump to theWorld Series Renault,
while on the other hand, the chemistry
with the Draco staff has been immediate
andmutual. They were satisfied withmy
approach and praisedmy dedication and
professionalism. For a driver, this is one
great satisfaction, especially when the
good comments come from such an
experienced group of people. I have been
impressed too. In theWSR every team is
highly-professional, but Draco seemed to
have the edge. I had other offers for
2014, but honestly I've been determined
to join them since the start".
In testing, you show good pace
despite it was your first time on a
Renault 3.5 car. Did your
expectationsmatch the reality?
"More or less. From a driver's
standpoing, I figured out how to use the
carbon brakes quite fast. I think that the
most difficult thing for a rookie is to
understand the car's cornering limit,
because having such amassive
downforce allows you to enter the corner
at sensational speeds and still make the
apex. You just need to log laps tomake
it more natural. I expected an hard car
from a physical standpoint as I was told
by other drivers who drove it and by the
teams. Well, when I actually drove, I
realized that it was even harder to drive
than I actually imagined. There is no
powersteering so it's tiring for the arms,
but themost difficult part is for the neck
due to the heavy lateral accelerations.
When you come from smaller formulas
you're definitely not used to that".
The F.Renault 3.5 is the first Dallara
you've ever driven.What were the
most impressive things at a first
look?
"Definitely the attention to detail. In
every single little detail, from the cockpit
to how the body panels fit with each
other, it's absolute perfection. It's a
Formula 1 design philosophy that makes
perfect sense, given that this series aims
at preparing drivers for the F.1 circus".
And from a performance standpoint?
"I expected to be impressed by the
engine, but at the end of the day, even
if 530 horsepower are a lot, you get
used quickly to the push and to the need
tomeasure out the throttle. Themost
impressive thing is the the general
vehicle dynamics. In the faster corners
it's tough to find the limit simply
because… it seems non-existent.
Sometimes, the car seems able to
approach the corner at any speed, and
you find yourself pushing harder and
harder lap after lap. The braking is also
impressive, with the carbon system you
can brake really hard and late, plus the
response is always ideal".
What are the track you're looking
forward to themost?
"We're speaking of a car that take its
best out of the faster corners, so Jerez,
the Nurburgring and Spa, no doubt
about that. The Eau Rouge wasn't very
special with the F.Renault 2.0, but I'm
sure that it will be a whole different
story with this racecar!".
Did you focus on the physical
preparation over thewinter?
"Like never before. It's enough to say
that from the days following the Alcaniz
test to the present day the strength of
my neck has doubled. I spent three
