From press release
The Sauber F1 Team Friday announced that Swiss driver, Simona De Silvestro will become an affiliated driver.
The 25-year-old left for America when she was just 18 to drive in the Formula BMW USA series in 2006 and the Atlantic Championship from 2007 to 2009.
Over the past four years De Silvestro has been driving in the IndyCar Series.
De Silvestro won the prestigious Indy 500 “Rookie of the Year” Award in 2010 and became the first woman to earn a podium finish on a street circuit in IndyCar.
This year she is taking the next step in her career by joining a preparation programme with the Sauber F1 Team, with the goal to gain her super licence and prepare for a race seat in Formula 1 for 2015.
The programme will include on track testing, simulator training, as well as mental and physical preparation.
“After four years in IndyCar, Simona’s ambition is to enter Formula 1 in 2015. We regard her as a very talented race driver, and we, therefore, decided to take her on board as an “affiliated driver” and support her on her way to the pinnacle of motorsport,” said Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal.
“This is a major step towards me achieving a life-long dream and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to take this step with such a great team,” Simona De Silvestro declared.
“The Sauber F1 Team is a team with a legacy and the only Swiss team in Formula 1, which I think makes this even more exciting. I can't thank Monisha Kaltenborn and Peter Sauber enough for their support and belief in my abilities and for giving me this chance. I’m thrilled to have this extremely unique platform on which to prepare myself to take on the challenge.”
The Sauber F1 Team Friday announced that Swiss driver, Simona De Silvestro will become an affiliated driver.
The 25-year-old left for America when she was just 18 to drive in the Formula BMW USA series in 2006 and the Atlantic Championship from 2007 to 2009.
Over the past four years De Silvestro has been driving in the IndyCar Series.
De Silvestro won the prestigious Indy 500 “Rookie of the Year” Award in 2010 and became the first woman to earn a podium finish on a street circuit in IndyCar.
This year she is taking the next step in her career by joining a preparation programme with the Sauber F1 Team, with the goal to gain her super licence and prepare for a race seat in Formula 1 for 2015.
The programme will include on track testing, simulator training, as well as mental and physical preparation.
Simona de Silvestro. (Photo: Sauber F1 Team) |
“After four years in IndyCar, Simona’s ambition is to enter Formula 1 in 2015. We regard her as a very talented race driver, and we, therefore, decided to take her on board as an “affiliated driver” and support her on her way to the pinnacle of motorsport,” said Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal.
“This is a major step towards me achieving a life-long dream and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to take this step with such a great team,” Simona De Silvestro declared.
“The Sauber F1 Team is a team with a legacy and the only Swiss team in Formula 1, which I think makes this even more exciting. I can't thank Monisha Kaltenborn and Peter Sauber enough for their support and belief in my abilities and for giving me this chance. I’m thrilled to have this extremely unique platform on which to prepare myself to take on the challenge.”