de Silvestro signs Porsche factory deal

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By: Marshall Pruett | 6 hours ago


Former IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro has been signed to Porsche’s roster of factory drivers. The 31-year-old native of Switzerland becomes the first woman hired by the German auto manufacturer to serve as an official member of its racing program, where she will support the brand’s TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in a vehicle development and testing capacity.

The busy de Silvestro, who competes full-time in the Australian Supercars series, and raced in Formula E from 2014-2016, moves from the Venturi Formula E team where she held a similar testing and development role last season.

“It is a great honor to work for this prestigious brand,” she said. “I am really looking forward to my new role as test and development driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Over the last few years, I have gained a lot of experience from my previous involvements in Formula E. I will do my best to help Porsche on the road to success.”

Porsche also signed Austria’s Thomas Preining to its Young Professional program. The 21-year-old will work alongside de Silvestro in the Formula E team led by the Le Mans-winning duo of Andre Lotterer and Neel Jani.

“In Simona and Thomas, we have acquired two proven talents for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team,” said Porsche Motorsport VP Fritz Enzinger. “Simona comes with a wealth of experience gained in various different race series and is also a familiar face in Formula E. We are looking forward to working with her and welcome her to the Porsche family. Thomas has been with us since 2017, during which time he has demonstrated his talent in GT racing on numerous occasions. With the Formula E program, we are giving Simona and Thomas the opportunity to develop as drivers and to make a positive contribution to the Porsche Formula E project.”


Formula E, International Racing