Pantano waiting on unlikely F1 future

The talented Pantano has been overlooked by F1 and IndyCar/Champ Car teams for years.

(GMM) Newly crowned GP2 champion Giorgio Pantano is still waiting to know if he has a future in formula one.

After recently securing the 2008 title, the 29-year-old Italian admitted he might have to look to options in America for his next career step.

If F1 bosses do turn him down, he would be the only champion in the history of the current GP2 format spurned by the sport's highest category.

"I knew this was my last chance to go back to formula one," Pantano, who raced most of the 2004 season with Jordan, told the French sports newspaper L'Equipe.

"I am still waiting for some answers, but I will not wait forever, because I have to ensure my career as a professional driver has a precise direction," he said.

Pantano flirted with the American open-wheeler scene a couple of years ago, racing a couple of times in the IRL and testing for the now defunct Champ Car series.

"I have always had the highest regard for these championships," the Italian confirmed. "I am convinced it is a competition that will return to its level of the days with Mansell and Zanardi."