De Silvestro acclimating to DW12's speed again.

I have a pussy and you don't, but that gets me headlines, so I have a job

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | June 10, 2022 7:32 PM ET

Simona De Silvestro’s neck was a worn-out mess after her first NTT IndyCar Series road course outing since April of 2015. The Paretta Autosport driver logged 20 laps around Road America’s blindingly fast 4.0-mile road course on Friday, and aside from needing to knock off a ton of rust, the Swiss ace also got reacclimatized to the physical toll an Indy car has on the body.

“My head was rolling around and under braking it was wanting to go forward, so it was a big adjustment, but it was great being back here,” she told RACER. De Silvestro’s kept busy racing GT cars for Porsche of late, and with the return to 700-plus horsepower and nearly 5000 pounds of downforce to glue the No. 16 Chevy to the track in the corners, Friday’s session had more to do with rediscovering the Dallara DW12 chassis than producing record-breaking speeds.

“The first few laps, I think I was turning in very early everywhere, because the Indy car definitely turns faster than a GT car,” she explained. “So it was just getting all my timings a bit right, and towards the end of the session I definitely felt better.”

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As expected, De Silvestro was 27th fastest in the 27-car field, but there was a promising note as she was just 1.01s off of teammate Rinus VeeKay who was 22nd on Friday. Significant changes and evolutions in Firestone’s road course tires since De Silvestro’s last outing seven years ago also took some time to process.

“The big thing you need to learn is when to use the tires at the right time to get the best from them,” she said. “So those are all things that I really need to try to be on top of for tomorrow in qualifying, and I’m just trying to get up to speed and not abuse the tires. This has been fun and it definitely feels fast.”

Separate from Paretta Autosport’s road racing debut with Ed Carpenter Racing, De Silvestro says she’s received nothing but love from Road America’s passionate IndyCar fans.

“It’s been really cool,” she said. “You know, I think — especially in Road America — when you see…camping and all that going on, it’s really special and I feel really welcomed. I think everyone is happy for me and now I just want to get back to where I was. Hopefully I can make all of them proud out there as well.”

 

De Silvestro to quit Supercars

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emailBy RACER Staff | November 7, 2019 6:58 AM ET

Simona De Silvestro has announced via social media that she will not continue as a full-time driver in Australia’s Supercars series next season.
Thank you @supercars ! It’s been an amazing 3 years. Thank you to all the fans for welcoming me with open arms! On to the next exciting chapter… pic.twitter.com/QW6Yf3uNuk

— Simona De Silvestro (@simdesilvestro)

The IndyCar veteran has raced in the Australia-based touring series since 2015, driving full-time for the past three seasons. In September, De Silvestro was named as a factory development driver for Porsche’s Formula E team, and although no plans have yet been revealed for her to race, the 31-year-old Swiss signaled that it is where she will be focusing the next stage of her career.

“I have a great opportunity with Porsche and I’m going to have some racing plans announced in December… but I can’t say what it is yet,” De Silvestro told the official Supercars website. “So for me it is just a really big opportunity and as a driver it’s always something you kind of work towards, to have a team and a brand hire you, so it’s pretty exciting times for me.”

De Silvestro acknowledged a little frustration with her results in Supercars, where she has struggled with Kelly Racing’s Nissan entries, but is still happy to have gained the experience.

“I’m not disappointed; definitely I feel the three years have been great,” she said. “It has been really an awesome experience for me to race here and even though I feel like some boxes haven’t been ticked, that’s sometimes how racing is. You need to be in the right place and the right position, which I felt was maybe not so much the case this year especially.

“A bit frustrating but at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason and now I have this great opportunity with Porsche that has come around. For me it’s something that I need to take because that’s a really big chance for me and my career.”

Iit's time to switch before my Cha-Cha gets too loose.

 

Catching up with Simona De Silvestro. So I've had Harvey Norman all over my chest...so what's it to you?

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | November 19, 2018 6:57 AM ET

Simona De Silvestro makes her first visit to The Marshall Pruett Podcast for a catch-up on life Down Under as an Australian Supercars driver, the challenges she’s faced in switching to tin-tops after a life spent in open-wheel cars, dealing with some of the negativity that has come her way on social media, her post-IndyCar efforts to land a seat in Formula 1, the W Series and her upcoming IMSA debut with an all-female line-up at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and reflections on her time in IndyCar as well as whether she’d entertain a return to the series in the future.

 

de Silvestro to remain with Kelly Racing in 2019

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emailBy RACER Staff | October 22, 2018 11:42 AM ET

Simona de Silvestro will remain with Kelly Racing for the 2019 Supercars Championship, following earlier talk of a switch to Triple Eight as replacement for the retiring Craig Lowndes.

“There were a lot of rumors,” she told Australian broadcaster Fox Sports.

“I’ll be with Nissan [Kelly Racing] next year. I’m really excited to continue, actually. I think we learned a lot this year to get better; the car has also improved.

“Hopefully over the [off-season] we’ll get a little bit better and having that relationship working really well with Chris [Stuckey, her engineer] I think is going to give us a bigger step for next year.”

The 30-year-old had appeared destined for a move to Triple Eight until talks broke down last month, and team owner Roland Dane has since confirmed that he will hand back the Racing Entitlements Contract – an agreement that is mandatory for each entry, and assigned to car numbers – for the No.888 that Lowndes currently occupies, meaning that the team will scale back from three Holdens to two next season.

Kelly Racing will lose its factory Nissan backing at the end of this year, although the team will continue to field four Altimas in 2019.

de Silvestro currently sits 24th in the series standings, and achieved her career-best result of 12th at Barbagallo in May.

 

De Silvestro sees progress in Supercars debut

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emailBy RACER Staff | March 4, 2017 4:28 PM ET



Simona De Silvestro felt reasonably pleased with progress in her first race as a regular in the Supercars Championship on Adelaide’s street circuit. The ex-IndyCar and Formula E racer finished 20th in the 250km opening race of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide weekend in her factory-supported Nissan Altima, the last car on the lead lap.

“I think the pace can be a little bit better but the car was really good,” De Silvestro told the Supercars website. “I think for a first one we’ll take it. We finished and learned a lot during the race. I made a few mistakes in the pits but we’ll be better tomorrow.”

The Swiss driver admitted to some relief after having been warned to expect no quarter from veterans of the Australia-based series.

“Everybody freaked me out so much about it… but it’s actually OK once you’re out there and in your rhythm,” said De Silvestro, who had been warned by a fellow “international” driver about the rough-and-tumble nature of Supercars racing, compared to the open-wheel competition she is used to.

“Bumping someone and letting them back through had never occurred to me because you can’t do that in an IndyCar,” she said. “But that’s the rules.”

“(Alex) Premat warned me that my first year is going to be a bit tough. I’m sure they’re not going to make it easy for me.”
But what's a girl going to do? My tits are too small and I can't type.

Reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen took a dominant victory in the opening race in Adelaide in his Red Bull Holden Commodore (highlights below).

 

SUPERCARS: De Silvestro gets works Nissan deal

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emailBy RACER Staff | November 16, 2016 8:39 PM ET



Former IndyCar and Formula E racer Simona De Silvestro is set to be a regular in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship for the next three years, having signed to race with that series’ factory Nissan team for the 2017 through ’19 seasons. The Swiss, who competed in the recent Bathurst race with Nissan, will make her debut as a full-timer in the factory Altima at next year’s Clipsal 500 season opener in Adelaide.

The 28-year old de Silvestro will be the first full-time female racer on the series grid in four decades, after signing with team owners Rick and Todd Kelly to drive alongside Michael Caruso.

“I’m really excited to be joining the team, and I can’t wait for next season,” De Silvestro said. “In joining Nissan Motorsport, I think the biggest thing is being a factory driver. It’s great to have the trust from Nissan Motorsport to give me the chance to drive for them.

“I really enjoyed driving for them at Bathurst, I really enjoyed the car, so there were a lot of things I really liked. And the team as well, it’s a great team, you see there’s a lot of potential in the team. So working with them hopefully will bring a lot of success.”

De Silvestro acknowledged she has a lot to learn about the Australia-based series.

“My expectations for next year? I think it’s going to be a pretty big challenge for me,” she admitted. “Most of my career has been in open-wheel. The Nissan Altima was feeling pretty great at Bathurst, so I’m sure at the other tracks I’m going to be able to adapt a lot quicker. Learning the tracks and working with the team will be a big challenge but (I’m) looking forward to it.”

2005 Bathurst winner Kelly worked closely with de Silvestro on the Harvey Normal Supergirls wild card entry (pictured), and looks forward to having her join the squad on a permanent basis. I'm a Supergirl alright, but Man, that Harvey Normal is one wild card!

“This is a big day for Nissan Motorsport,” said Kelly. “Simona’s performance at Bathurst this year was outstanding. You could see in the data the amount of potential in Simona. So next year will be very exciting. To have built a race team that can attract a driver of Simona’s international experience is a testament to the hard work of everyone here at Nissan Motorsport.

“I have been racing in Supercars since I was 17 years old and I’ve only really worked with cars from this category, so it’s great to now have someone who has experienced motorsport from all around the world. It’s exciting to be able to compare how we do things here to what Simona has experienced elsewhere.”

Richard Emery, Nissan Australia’s Managing Director and CEO, also expressed enthusiasm at having de Silvestro aboard, suggesting that her gender will be a boost to the manufacturer’s marketing efforts.

“Simona’s results and experience are impressive and she has already shown strong speed in our Nissan Altima at Bathurst,” he said. “2017 is now shaping to be our best so far and Simona’s arrival will add a new focus and energy.

“Nissan has a long history in motorsport, one of the few competitive sports where men and women compete head to head on equal terms. It’s important that Nissan and the wider automotive sector promote our industry and our vehicles as well as motorsport beyond traditional male audiences. We want to encourage more women to choose our industry as a career and sporting pathway. And by having Simona on our team we hope to achieve not only greater speed and results on the track.”

De Silvestro replaces 2013 Dunlop Series Champion Dale Wood at Nissan. Team owner Kelly thanked Wood for his commitment to the team after shifting from Brad Jones Racing for 2016.

“It has been a pleasure having Dale as part of our team this season,” said team Kelly. “Dale has been a great contributor to our progress throughout the season and has been an ever-present positive personality within the team.

“Todd and I, as well as the entire team are very thankful for his efforts and we wish him all the best for the future.”

 

Reynolds fined for "disgraceful" comment about de Silvestro/Gracie Bathurst entry

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | October 8, 2015 3:22 PM ET



V8 Supercar driver David Reynolds (LEFT) has been fined by the series for comments made in a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Bathurst 1000, where he referred to the car driven by his female teammates as the “P***y wagon.” Well, it really is. I had to cough up 18 grand to say it is a “P***y wagon" and I would say it again if I had another 18 grand.....but I don't , so I won't.

Reynolds, who’s known for his offbeat sense of humor, was docked $25,000 Australian (approximately $18,000 U.S.) for his reference to former IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie (ABOVE), who are making their V8 debut at Mount Panorama.

“Reynolds’ comments were disgraceful and completely unacceptable in our sport and he has been fined $25,000,” said V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton. “Women are an integral part of our sport, whether they are fans, drivers or team members. And V8 Supercars will continue to support and promote female participation at all levels of our sport.”

Reynolds, who sits third in the championship in The Bottle-O Racing Team Ford Falcon, later apologized for his comment aimed at the Harvey Norman Supergirls’ entry fielded by the same Prodrive operation.

Coulthard leads opening Bathurst practice

“I unreservedly apologize for a comment I made in a press conference earlier today in relation to my female teammates,” he said. “While it was intended to be humorous, I understand it has caused offense. As I stated in the press conference I genuinely hope they perform well as they are both highly-talented as they showed today with their pace.

“People know I am a little left-of-center with my humor but I understand today I took it too far. I have personally apologized to Renee and Simona and I fully accept the penalty handed down by V8 Supercars and any subsequent team sanctions.”