Formula E: A great honor for Simona
CONTRACT WITH PORSCHE Neel Jani is no longer the only Porsche works driver from Switzerland. Simona de Silvestro will support the newly formed Formula E team in its debut season as a test and development driver. The surprise has been achieved. On Monday morning, Porsche announced the signing of Simona de Silvestro and Thomas Preining from Austria as test and development drivers. The 31-year-old from Vaud [...]
The surprise has been achieved. On Monday morning, Porsche announced the signing of Simona de Silvestro and Thomas Preining from Austria as test and development drivers. The 31-year-old from Vaud took over this role in the past 2018/19 season at Venturi.
In 2015, the previous IndyCar driver contested the last two Formula E races and was a regular driver for Andretti Autosport in the following 2015/16 season. With the Americans, Simona became the first woman to score points.
Porsche Young Professional Thomas Preining has been a member of the squad since 2017 and has competed in various GT classes to date. Formula E is new territory for him.
Contribution to further development
Both are involved in the simulator work in Weissach and will be on site at selected Formula E races. They are also available to the team for in-season test drives.
The Head of Porsche Motorsport and Group Motorsport Volkswagen AG explains the choice.
Fritz Enzinger: "Simona brings with her a wealth of experience from various racing series and is also a familiar face in Formula E. Both are excellent team players. Both are excellent team players who are very keen to move the team forward. That is one of the success factors in Formula E. With the Formula E program, we are giving them the opportunity to continuously develop as drivers and make a positive contribution to our project."
The anticipation grows
The Swiss, who has been involved in the Australian V8 touring cars since 2017 and whose future there is uncertain, naturally feels that her commitment is a great honor.
Simona de Silvestro: "I am very much looking forward to my new task for such a prestigious brand. I've been able to gather a lot of experience from previous Formula E races over the past few years and will do my best to support Porsche on the road to success."
Countdown to the test drives
For regular drivers Neel Jani and André Lotterer, the first Porsche racing season in Formula E will begin in mid-October with the official tests in Valencia. The championship kicks off on 22 and 23 November 2019 with the first two races in Al Diriyah in Saudi Arabia.
porsche.com/germany/motorsportandevents/motorsport/formulae
