Simona De Silvestro bids farewell to SuperCars buts laments she was unable to achieve her potential
As she prepares for her final SuperCars race, Swiss racer Simona De Silvestro reflects on her stint in the sport, providing a pathway for other female drivers and her unfulfilled ambitions.
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Simona De Silvestro feels she was unable to achieve her potential in her time in Supercars as she prepares for her farewell race in Newcastle this weekend.
The Swiss driver will close the chapter on her three-year stint as a full-time racer in V8s in the final round, but has not ruled out a return to tackle future endurance races.
De Silvestro joined Supercars amid much fanfare in 2017 as the category’s first full-time female racer after stints in IndyCar and Formula E.
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But after three years with Kelly Racing, De Silvestro confirmed she will be a test driver for Porsche’s Formula E program next year.
After a steep learning curve in SuperCars, the 31-year-old’s best result was seventh place at Pukekohe Raceway in Auckland this year.
“For sure, results wise it has been a bit frustrating, I feel like a few boxes haven’t been ticked off, but that’s how motorsport sometimes goes,” De Silvestro said.
“Sometimes that’s how it goes, especially in racing.
“This year was definitely a bit compromised. The situation with the team and Nissan (Motorsport) not being a part of it, that was a big thing, the team going down to two cars next year — there is just a lot of things that weren’t perfect in that sense.
“For sure, it would have been nice to have a podium or something like that. But you never know, I might come back, who knows.
“The enduros are a possibility. I’d love to come back for Bathurst and all that would be really great.”
De Silvestro was 13th at Mount Panorama this year.
“It would be really fun to be a good situation to go into these three (endurance) races. Depending on my schedule next year we will see if it’s possible, but definitely it is going to be on my mind because I would love to come back for that.”
De Silvestro finished 24th in the championship in her first year in Supercars, 23rd last year and sits 19th in the championship standings ahead of the final Newcastle round.
Kelly Racing’s Nissan Altimas will also cut their last laps in Supercars at Newcastle before moving to a two-car Ford Mustang operation next year.
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De Silvestro said it was always going to be hard for the Altimas to compete against the new Mustangs.
“At the end of the day they are just a new car and I think if you have Penske involved, they are going to push the boundaries,” De Silvestro said.
“What I’ve learned over the years, any other racing series usually when a new car comes in, they all come in at the same time. You can’t compare the Nissan we are racing to the Mustang, I think that would be unfair. Our car got built like six years ago, so it’s a long time especially in racing.”
While she was unable to make the breakthrough she had wanted in the series, De Silvestro hopes other female drivers could get an opportunity in the future
“At the end of the day, I’m sure there is a lot of young girls in junior series, (but) they have to perform,” De Silvestro said.
“At the end of the day you have to persevere and have people around you help you and teams believe in you.
“That’s why I’m in this journey as well. If you look at me now, I have a massive car company (Porsche) who has a big motorsport legacy giving me a shot. I think it is definitely changing the minds of people and that’s what we are here for.”
Originally published as Simona De Silvestro bids farewell to SuperCars buts laments she was unable to achieve her potential
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