Simona de Silvestro sampled Formula 1 machinery for the first time today (Saturday 26th April).
The Swiss driver took to Ferrari's Fiorano test track in Italy at the wheel of Sauber's 2012 car, the C31.
It was repainted in the colours of her own personal sponsors. The 25-year-old joined the Sauber F1 Team at the start of 2014 as an affiliated driver, after four years competing in the IndyCar series.
The Hinwil-based outfit said the goal was for de Silvestro to complete enough testing this season to gain the mandatory FIA superlicense, in order for her to join the grid in 2015.
She is expected to drive Sauber's 2014 car later in the year. The team confirmed that she completed 121 laps overall without any issues.
de Silvestro has already spent a lot of time at the factory and in the team's simulator. She will complete her test running at Fiorano on Sunday.
"Although it’s something very special to drive a Formula One car, I was not too nervous in the morning," she said after her first time driving a Formula 1 car.
"I was more focused on what my job would be. But, after completing the installation lap, I realised that this was my first lap in a Formula One car, and that this was something really special. What impressed me most was the downforce of the car and the braking.
"When I did my first lap the brakes were cold, but even then the decelaration was beyond what I had experienced before. The g-forces are significantly higher compared to what I was used to in IndyCar. Overall, I’m happy with my first day in a Formula One car."
She added: "I concentrated mainly on understanding the tyres and finding out how to get the best out of them. And with every outing I learned more about the behaviour of the car. I can feel now where there is more potential and how I can use it.
"Physically I feel quite good, which is definitely a result of my preparation in recent months. I have been training really hard and this paid off. I can’t wait to get into the car again tomorrow. The feeling you get driving a Formula One car is just awesome."
Test engineer Paul Russell said: "Simona did a very solid job today. It was immediately clear that she is an experienced driver. It was as good a start in a Formula One car as you could hope for, and you couldn’t really ask for more today."
UPDATE
de Silvestro completed 68 laps at the wheel of the C31 on Sunday, making her overall tally for the two-day test 180 laps.
She said: "It was another good day. Everything feels more familiar to me compared to yesterday, when things were new to me. We made some changes to the set-up, which gave me the opportunity to get a feeling for those changes and learn how the car reacts to them. I can say that I already feel confident in the car, which is very positive. I’m quite happy with what I was able to achieve over the two days.
"A big thank you to the team who did a fabulous job explaining everything to me, and giving me the time to reflect on this. I had a lot of questions, and I got all the answers from the engineers, who took the time to show me the data and discuss it with me in all detail. I’m already looking forward to my next opportunity to test the C31."
Her next time driving the car will be at the Valencia circuit in Spain from the 25th to the 27th June.
 |
| © Sauber F1 Team |
It was repainted in the colours of her own personal sponsors. The 25-year-old joined the Sauber F1 Team at the start of 2014 as an affiliated driver, after four years competing in the IndyCar series.
The Hinwil-based outfit said the goal was for de Silvestro to complete enough testing this season to gain the mandatory FIA superlicense, in order for her to join the grid in 2015.
She is expected to drive Sauber's 2014 car later in the year. The team confirmed that she completed 121 laps overall without any issues.
de Silvestro has already spent a lot of time at the factory and in the team's simulator. She will complete her test running at Fiorano on Sunday.
"Although it’s something very special to drive a Formula One car, I was not too nervous in the morning," she said after her first time driving a Formula 1 car.
 |
| © Sauber F1 Team |
"I was more focused on what my job would be. But, after completing the installation lap, I realised that this was my first lap in a Formula One car, and that this was something really special. What impressed me most was the downforce of the car and the braking.
"When I did my first lap the brakes were cold, but even then the decelaration was beyond what I had experienced before. The g-forces are significantly higher compared to what I was used to in IndyCar. Overall, I’m happy with my first day in a Formula One car."
She added: "I concentrated mainly on understanding the tyres and finding out how to get the best out of them. And with every outing I learned more about the behaviour of the car. I can feel now where there is more potential and how I can use it.
"Physically I feel quite good, which is definitely a result of my preparation in recent months. I have been training really hard and this paid off. I can’t wait to get into the car again tomorrow. The feeling you get driving a Formula One car is just awesome."
Test engineer Paul Russell said: "Simona did a very solid job today. It was immediately clear that she is an experienced driver. It was as good a start in a Formula One car as you could hope for, and you couldn’t really ask for more today."
UPDATE
de Silvestro completed 68 laps at the wheel of the C31 on Sunday, making her overall tally for the two-day test 180 laps.
 |
| © Sauber F1 Team |
She said: "It was another good day. Everything feels more familiar to me compared to yesterday, when things were new to me. We made some changes to the set-up, which gave me the opportunity to get a feeling for those changes and learn how the car reacts to them. I can say that I already feel confident in the car, which is very positive. I’m quite happy with what I was able to achieve over the two days.
"A big thank you to the team who did a fabulous job explaining everything to me, and giving me the time to reflect on this. I had a lot of questions, and I got all the answers from the engineers, who took the time to show me the data and discuss it with me in all detail. I’m already looking forward to my next opportunity to test the C31."
Her next time driving the car will be at the Valencia circuit in Spain from the 25th to the 27th June.
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