Simona de Silvestro confirms her ambition to be a full-time driver in F1

Simona de Silvestro is clearly a media phenomenon for F1 in general and for Sauber in particular. Indeed, during the press conference organized by the team, more than thirty journalists of different nationalities were present to listen to the Swiss driver, which is quite rare for an affiliated team driver.

The fact is that the driver has just conducted tests on the Fiorano circuit, which proved to be very promising, even though the team refused to communicate any times. For the former IndyCar driver, the step up was quite significant: « When I got behind the wheel, I thought it would be just one more step compared to IndyCar. But in fact, it was more like climbing ten steps at once, as the difference is so impressive. »

When asked about the differences between the two types of single-seaters, she explained that the physical preparation required to drive them was not the same at all: « In IndyCar, I had to work mainly on the upper body, the arms because the steering wheel and the steering were very heavy. But there weren’t that many G-forces. On the other hand, in F1, the G-forces you experience are completely different. It’s as tough in one case as the other, but you have to prepare in a completely different way. »

She took the opportunity to reflect on her experience in IndyCar: « I think I managed well, but I think I could have done even better. Especially last year, things didn’t always go our way. So I’m happy but not completely satisfied. »

The parallel with another driver, Danica Patrick, who chose to switch from IndyCar to NASCAR rather than turning to F1, has obviously been noted: « Danica was very fast on ovals, but F1 takes place on road circuits, which makes a big difference. Moreover, she is American and NASCAR is huge over there. Whereas I come from Europe and F1 has always been my goal. »

In his career plan, IndyCar was just a step and not an end in itself: « I went to the United States when I was 17 years old. I did almost all my training there. I learned a lot there, battling with drivers like Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, or Tony Kanaan. However, I think F1 is even stronger than that, and that’s why I jumped at the opportunity that presented itself. »

Your servant then asked her why she preferred to be in the role of test driver rather than keeping a competition program, like GP2, which could have allowed her to learn the circuits: « We asked ourselves that question. But ultimately, the most important thing is to get familiar with how an F1 team operates. At present, that is more important than competing on the different circuits. »

One can’t help but wonder how she sees her future. She makes no secret of her ambitions: « Obviously, I would like to be on the grid in the future. For now, I have met all the objectives we set with the team. So we’ll see how things develop. »

The future will begin with a second phase of testing at the Valencia circuit at the end of June. During these three days of testing, she will be able to deepen her understanding of F1, even though it doesn’t count towards obtaining the Super License: « Technically, it doesn’t count since you need to do 300 kilometers with a current single-seater. Nevertheless, I have shown that I am competitive with the single-seater from two years ago. So maybe it can still count… »

We will certainly follow the young woman’s progress in the coming months, which could lead to seeing a successful woman reach the F1 race grid.

From our special correspondent in Barcelona