Swiss driver Simona De Silvestro has been named Test and Development driver for the Porsche works team in Formula E.
The first step in a new adventure with new drivers: today the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team named Simona De Silvestro and Thomas Preining as their new test and development drivers. Both will support the team and the regular drivers Neel Jani and André Lotterer in the upcoming racing campaign.
Simona De Silvestro isn´t new to Formula E: in the very first season she drove the last two races with Andretti Autosport in 2015, while during the 2015/16 season she signed as fulltime driver with Andretti Motorsport and scored her best result with a 9th place and got points as first woman in Formula E.
In the 18/19 season she supported Venturi Formula E Team as test driver.
The 31-year old Swiss driver has previous experience of Formula 1 and IndyCar as well, as she scored a second place in the U.S. based racing series and became the third woman to earn a podium in IndyCar after Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick. In Formula 1, she was affiliated driver to Sauber F1 Team, but budget constraints ended her F1 dream.
Simona has been lately driving in the Australian Supercars Championship, where she is currently 20th in the standings after a challenging season with Nissan. Her deal with Kelly Racing is due to expire at the end of this year and Simona has stated that will reveal her full racing plans shortly.
De Silvestro is the first woman to become a works driver for Porsche.
"It is a great honour to work for this prestigious brand." - said the experienced lady. "I am really looking forward to my new role as test and development driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Over the last few years, I have gained a lot of experience from my previous involvements in Formula E. I will do my best to help Porsche on the road to success."
In Simona's words:
Over the last few years, I have gained a lot of experience from my previous involvements in Formula E. I will do my best to help Porsche on the road to success."
Ph credits: Porsche Motorsport