Simona De Silvestro

Simona De Silvestro is a Swiss racing driver who has carved out a rare career spanning IndyCar, Formula E, Supercars, and sports car racing—collecting firsts for women along the way while refusing to make gender the centerpiece of her story.

EARLY YEARS

Born September 1, 1988, in Thun, Switzerland, Simona De Silvestro grew up with gasoline in her veins—courtesy of her father’s car dealership, where speed and machinery were part of the daily landscape. She started racing karts at age seven in Italy, a necessity born partly from Switzerland’s ban on circuit racing. This early transnational approach shaped her career: she’d compete under the Italian flag initially, then spend her formative racing years in America rather than the traditional European ladder. De Silvestro speaks five languages—German, French, English, Italian, and Swiss-German—a skill set that would prove useful as she hopscotched continents chasing a racing career.

Her karting résumé from 2002-2003 included a second-place finish at the Wintercup in Lonato and runner-up in the Bridgestone Cup Switzerland, solid results that positioned her for the jump to cars. At her very first car race in 2004—the French Formula A Championship—she won in wet conditions against a strong field. “My very first race was in France… It was raining and there were a lot of good drivers there. But I won that race. From then on, I just kept going,” she recalled years later. It was the kind of debut that announces arrival, not participation.

OTHER INTERESTS

De Silvestro’s athletic interests extend beyond four wheels. She plays golf and tennis, enjoys wakeboarding, and maintains a fitness regimen that supports the physical demands of racing. Music also features in her downtime, though specifics remain private. Her most ambitious non-racing pursuit, however, is bobsleigh—she finished fifth in monobob at the Swiss Bobsledding Championships and launched a campaign to make the Swiss National Bobsled team for the 2026 Winter Olympics. One source suggests she’s competing for Italy in this endeavor, creating a minor nationality mystery that mirrors her early karting days. Either way, the woman clearly doesn’t do hobbies halfway.

EARLY SUCCESS

After winning that rain-soaked French Formula A race in 2004, De Silvestro moved to Formula Renault 2000 Italy with Cram in 2005. By 2006, she’d landed in Formula BMW USA, where she became the first woman to win a professional race at Lime Rock Park. Starting from the front row, she took the lead on lap four and held it for 21 laps—a statement victory at a historic American road course. She added two more podiums that season and finished fourth in the championship with six podiums and eleven top-ten finishes overall. She also became the first woman to podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, serving notice that ovals wouldn’t intimidate her.

The Atlantic Championship became her proving ground from 2007 to 2009. After a rookie season with Walker Racing that yielded two top-tens, she won at Long Beach in 2008—her first Atlantic victory. By 2009, she’d amassed the most wins, poles, and laps led by a woman in the series’ history: four poles and nine podiums en route to third in the championship. It was a résumé purpose-built for IndyCar, and that’s exactly where she headed.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2006: First woman to win a professional race at Lime Rock Park (Formula BMW USA)[4].
• 2006: First woman to podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway[1].
• 2009: Most wins, poles, and laps led by a woman in a single Atlantic Championship season (4 poles, 9 podiums, 3rd overall)[1].
• 2010: IndyCar Rookie of the Year and Indy 500 Rookie of the Year; Tony Renna Firestone Rising Star award[2][4].
• 2011: Fastest lap at the São Paulo IndyCar race (HVM Racing)[2].
• 2013: Second place at the Houston IndyCar race—her first IndyCar podium and one of only a handful achieved by women in the series alongside Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher[4].
• 2014: Formula 1 test with Sauber[3].
• 2016: First woman to score points in Formula E (ninth at Long Beach)[2][4].
• 2017-2019: First full-time female driver in the Supercars Championship[2][3].
• 2020: Porsche factory driver in ADAC GT Masters (10 races)[2].
• 2021: Driver for Paretta Autosport, the first all-female IndyCar team at the Indy 500[2][4].

INSPIRATIONS

De Silvestro’s racing hero is Michael Schumacher, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion—a logical choice for a Swiss driver who came of age during Schumacher’s Ferrari dominance. Beyond that, her father’s car dealership provided the earliest inspiration, embedding the love of speed and machinery before she was old enough to articulate it. Her favorite tracks include Road America and Virginia International Raceway, both celebrated for their technical challenges and flowing layouts.

REPUTATION

De Silvestro earned the nickname “Swiss Miss,” a moniker that cuts both ways—it’s affectionate, but also the kind of cutesy branding female athletes can’t quite escape. What’s undeniable is her standing as one of the most accomplished and versatile female racers in modern motorsport. She’s collected firsts across multiple series and continents, from IndyCar to Formula E to Supercars, navigating vastly different machinery and racing cultures with competence. Her Houston podium in 2013 came with KV Racing Technology, her Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors in 2010 showcased her oval skills, and her 14th-place finish at Bathurst in 2016 as a wildcard—alongside a best finish of 13th in 2019 and a top-ten at Newcastle in 2018—demonstrated her adaptability to Australia’s wild touring car racing.

In a 2016 Formula E interview, she addressed being a female driver in a male-dominated sport with characteristic matter-of-factness: not phased by the imbalance, hopeful that her presence would encourage young women. She’s been part of IndyCar’s Race for Equality and Change initiative through her 2021 Paretta Autosport ride, and she’s consistently advocated for more women both on track and in the pit lane. Her career longevity across so many disciplines has earned respect—this isn’t someone who flashed brightly and disappeared. She’s still here, still racing, still adding chapters.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2023, De Silvestro ran a Supercars wildcard entry with Shell V-Power Racing alongside Kai Allen. She remains a Porsche factory driver in GT3 competition and continues her involvement with Formula E. Her most audacious goal, however, lies outside motorsport entirely: she’s training for the 2026 Winter Olympics in monobob, competing for either Switzerland or Italy depending on which source you believe. Given that she’s already proven she can win in rain, on ovals, in touring cars, and in electric single-seaters, betting against her sliding down ice at 80 mph seems unwise. If nothing else, she’ll be the only one at the starting gate who’s also podiumed at the Indy 500.

References:

Lotus HVM Racing – Simona De Silvestro Bio
Paretta Autosport – Simona De Silvestro
Supercars – Simona De Silvestro Driver Profile
Lime Rock Park – De Silvestro First Female to Win at Lime Rock Park
Porsche – Simona De Silvestro: Dreams of Bobsleigh
Formula E – Simona De Silvestro Interview (2016)
Henry Ford Museum – Simona De Silvestro Bio
Road Racing Drivers Club – Members