Young Swiss driver Simona De Silvestro in her first season in IndyCar racing talked to Auto123.com just before her maiden experience in an Indy car on an oval.
Auto123.com: You started the Long Beach race from 11th place on the grid and finished 17th. What cost you time and positions in that race? Simona de Silvestro: “Long Beach was a difficult race for me. We gamble on making an earlier-than-scheduled pit stop, but that did not worked in our favour. I ended up in heavy traffic with several slower cars in front of me.” Q: Were you happy with the overall performance of your car? De Silvestro: “The car was handling well during the race. However, it was a little slow coming out of the last corner, which made it impossible to pass competitors at the end of the long straight. The race result does not reflect well our true level of performance.” Q: Are you satisfied with your performances after four races as you are a rookie in this series after two seasons in Formula Atlantic? De Silvestro: “I’m a bit surprised, but I worked really hard to reach this level of performance, and we are a good team also. I believe that if I do my job right and the team too, the results will be very good.” Q: It is difficult to be always compared to Danica Patrick? How are your relationships with her? De Silvestro: “We have very good relationship, Danica and I. I think she did a lot of things for us in motor racing. But we have very different personalities.” Q: The first four races were held on road courses. But now the series moves to ovals and to the famous Indy 500. What are your feelings before those races? De Silvestro: “I will go there, and try to learn as much as possible. It’s a new challenge for me, and I’m looking forward… I look forward to Indy 500. It’s a great honor to be part of the major event, and my aim will be to finish the race.” Q: What are the main differences between an Indy car and Formula Atlantic car? De Silvestro: “Formula Atlantic cars produced about 300 horsepower, while it’s around 650 in the Indy car. The difference in terms of performance is really impressive. The races are also very different, because they are much longer in IndyCar where the strategy is part of the race.” Q: Back several years ago now. Why did you choose to move to USA, after a season of Formula Renault in Italy in 2005? De Silvestro: “I had the opportunity to race in Formula BMW USA thanks to an American sponsor. And I really believe that I made the good choice.” Q: Do you expect to go back racing in Europe in the near future? Is Formula 1 in your mind? De Silvestro: “Formula 1 is still my dreams. But for the moment, I compete in the IndyCar series, and very happy to be here. We’ll see what happens in the future...”
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