Simona: Looking forward to the new GT task
PREMIERE IN THE GT MASTERS For the first time, Simona de Silvestro is contesting a race series in Europe as a professional driver. In the ADAC GT Masters, many things will be new for the Porsche works driver. The Indianapolis 500, the Bathurst 1000 in Australia or test laps in a Sauber F1 - these are some of the highlights of Simona de Silvestro's career so far. After [...]
The Indianapolis 500 miles, the Bathurst 1000 in Australia or test laps in a Sauber F1 - these are some of the highlights of Simona de Silvestro's career to date. After several years in the USA and Australia, the woman from Vaud is returning to Europe for professional reasons.
Of course with Porsche
After signing a contract with Porsche as a test and development driver for the Formula E project at the end of 2019, it was important for her to also get into racing - for obvious reasons in a Porsche team. So she is now venturing into the ADAC GT Masters and GT3 racing with the German KÜS Team75 Bernhard.
Simona de Silvestro: "As there was a vacancy in Timo Bernhard's team, the whole thing came about almost by itself. I'm megahappy about it. I spoke to a lot of drivers and they all think it's the toughest and coolest GT racing series. Plus, I've almost only raced overseas for the past twelve years, so it's fun to be attacking Europe again."
Much is new
In the 2020 ADAC GT Masters, the 31-year-old will share a Porsche 911 GT3 R with 28-year-old Austrian Klaus Bachler in the team of two-time World Endurance Champion Timo Bernhard. Although she can count on the experience of a well-established squad, much will be new for Simona.
Simona de Silvestro: "That will certainly be a challenge. I only know the series from TV, the car and the Pirelli tires are new and, apart from Hockenheim and Zandvoort, the tracks are also new territory for me."
Low GT success
Her previous GT3 experience is manageable. A year ago, she competed in an Acura at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Then again with the Australian V8 Supercars.
Simona de Silvestro: "Of course, the car and the tires were very different from what they are now. But I was driving with a racing ABS for the first time, something I hadn't known from other race cars until then. It's good that I've already gained some experience with it. I don't have to start from scratch and already know what to look out for. We'll go testing for the first time soon. I'm already very excited, but I'm sure it will be fun."
Pressure is there
As far as her goals for the season are concerned, the Swiss is still keeping a low profile.
Simona de Silvestro: "Pressure is already there, because of course Porsche is watching what I do. But it's difficult to say at the moment what results are possible. We haven't even done a test yet and I don't know the competition either. We'll certainly know more after the first test. Of course, I want to get the best possible results at all the race weekends. If we do everything right, we'll have a package with good chances of top positions."
