months at the gym, six days a week,
more than three hours a day. Obviously
is the kind of work we need to focus on
during the winter time, because during
the season, between the races and the
tests, there is no time for heavy
training. I know that the 2014 season
will be demanding from all respect, and
nothing should be left to fate".
You've only driven for one team so
far, Prema Powerteam. Now you're at
Draco, another squad featuring an
almost all-Italian staff. Did the
nationality have someweight in your
decision for 2014, in terms of
finding the right atmosphere?
"Honestly, no. We already agreed with
Draco that we will use English as the
regular language for our work, so the
nationality had no weight in our
decision. I think that, if a driver wants
to be a professional, he should not worry
about this kind of things. Andmore
than that, a professional driver should
be ready to work with the best team
available, independently fromwhere
they come from".
Let's talk about your career so far.
You scored 13wins, 8 podium
finishes and 11 pole positions in the
last two season. It's impressive, but
not enough towin a championship
both in the 2012 Formula Abarth
and in last season's F.Renault ALPS
where you ended up in second. Any
regret?
"For the Abarth series two years ago, it's
pretty simple. I believe I put together six
or seven retirements due tomy
mistakes, and considering that I lost the
championship for a handful of points,
running at the end in some of these
occasions would have been enough to
secure the title. I can't say I'm picking
onmyself but it has been one useful
lesson. In F.Renault, the situationwas
different. In the first half of the season I
struggled in adapting to the Michelin
tires, whichwere substantially different
than the Kumho I used until 2012. The
F.Abarth tires were extremely hard, and
to heat them you always had to drive
them to the limit, almost with a rallying
style. On the other hand, the Michelin
rubber used on the F.Renault ismuch
softer, and they need you to drive clean.
I wasn't able to do it at the start, so I
lost some valuable points".
Can you tell us the best quality of
Ghiotto as a driver, and the flaw you
still have to fix?
"One quality is the cold blood. It isn't
easy to shockme during a race weekend,
and even in themost complicated
situations I don't lose the concentration.
I think it's a good virtue when you race
at high levels. For the flaws… I worked
very hard to fix the ones I had so far".
What is your realistic goal for the
season?
"I know that it won't be an easy year,
and there will be a lot to learn, race
after race. That said, in the Alcaniz test
Gasly, Rowland and I, the trio coming
from the Eurocup Renault, were covered
by just one tenth of a second. I can say
that the goal is to fight with them on
equal terms. It means fighting for the
rookie title and that would be one great
result".
Filippo Zanier
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