The motorsport journey of Simona de Silvestro tells a compelling story of resilience, spanning from her agonizingly close brush with Formula 1 to her unexpected transition into bobsleigh and an appearance at the Winter Olympics in Italy. Long before ice tracks entered her life, the Swiss driver harbored a singular ambition to reach the absolute pinnacle of motorsport.
Growing up in Switzerland while watching Michael Schumacher dominate with Ferrari, her path was set from the moment she began karting at age six. Speaking to Speedcafe, she reflected on her childhood aspirations. 'Like any driver, especially in Europe, Formula 1 was the goal. I was always watching Formula 1 with my dad, and growing up that’s kind of what the goal was. When I started karting, to me in my head, it was, okay, I want to be a Formula 1 driver,' she recalled.
Her dedication drove her to move to the United States at 18, competing in Formula BMW and Formula Atlantic. After claiming four victories and finishing third in the 2009 Formula Atlantic standings, she stepped up to IndyCar in 2010. She made an immediate impact by finishing 14th on her Indianapolis 500 debut and capturing the coveted Rookie of the Year honors.
Her strongest IndyCar campaign arrived three years later, highlighted by a stunning runner-up finish on the streets of Houston. That milestone made her only the third woman to secure an IndyCar podium after Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick, and the first to achieve the feat on a road or street circuit. However, looking back, she admits questioning the trajectory her career took following that breakthrough season.
A major opportunity materialized in 2014 when the Sauber F1 team appointed her as an affiliated driver, placing her in a development program that involved simulator work and physical testing aimed at a potential 2015 race seat. Ultimately, the arrangement collapsed due to financial realities. 'In one sense it was really close. It was close in the sense that I did five test days and they went pretty well. But unfortunately at the time in 2014-15, Sauber was a little bit in a difficult time. And they really needed a lot of support from the drivers to bring sponsorship. And ultimately I didn’t really have that amount of sponsorship that was required,' she explained.
Baca Juga
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