Simona de Silvestro, Olympic Games goal… winter!

Speed ​​has always been part of Simona de Silvestro's life. Former test driver at Sauber Formula 1, she notably finished on the podium in IndyCar, before also driving in Formula E and in Australian Supercars. Although her career as a racing driver is far from over, the native of Thun has set herself a particular challenge, that of participating in the next Winter Olympic Games, in less than two years, in bobsleigh. The Swiss is in fact entered in the monobob category, a bobsleigh car the particularity of which is to have been added to the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, in an exclusively female category. After finishing fifth in the 2022 Swiss championships, De Silvestro participated this winter in European Cup events, under Italian license.

Her father, Pierre Luigi, is in fact an Italian citizen and Simona de Silvestro has dual nationality. An advantage in these times of the Olympic Games in Italy, where the host country is obviously putting more resources into winning as many medals as possible. Being able to train on tracks similar to the one that will be used in 2026 is an advantage that the pilot intends to take advantage of, who uses a motorsport helmet in her bobsleigh.

“When I was a kid, I watched the Olympic Games and always felt inspired by the Games”, she explained to Porsche, a brand for which she is a development driver in Formula e. “To be able to do it once in my life would be extraordinary. So at some point I started reviewing all the Olympic sports to see which ones I could realistically participate in. That's how I discovered bobsleigh, because I think it's the closest thing to driving a race car. Three years ago, I finally decided to give it a go. I managed to find a way in, after many annoying phone calls! Today I am part of the Italian national team and trying to qualify for the Olympic Games. It's a difficult dream to achieve, that's for sure, but I think it's very exciting when you have something completely new to aim for. It’s been a fun but challenging adventure so far. »

A whole new training mode

Bobsleigh is indeed one of the winter sports closest to motorsport in general. Control of the trajectories is crucial, the speed increasing as the icy descent progresses. But there is one point on which Simona de Silvestro had to modify her preparation, the absence of an engine! Indeed, unlike a car, it is she and she alone who must move her machine forward at the start of the race, in a very important phase which is that of pushing. The few tenths lost in these first seconds multiply throughout the course, since a longer push implies less speed given to the bobsleigh.

“There is definitely a lot to learn. Driving the bobsled makes a lot of sense to me because I'm used to the speed. But I don't have a motor in the bobsleigh, I am the motor! So that's the biggest challenge. Everyone who comes to bobsleigh generally comes from athletics. For me, the next step is to learn to run and push the bobsled as fast as possible. Today, I train a lot for explosiveness, which is not really the case in motorsport. It's interesting. A large part of my body hurts most of the time! It's a whole new world. Luckily, I have a lot of good people around me who know what they are doing to make all of this possible. »

The next two winters will therefore be crucial for Simona de Silvestro, who will first have to continue to gain experience in the European Cup, before participating in the specialty World Cup. With the focus on selection for the Italian team and participation in the Winter Olympic Games. The friendly Swiss driver could therefore add her name to the long list of motorsport personalities who have participated in the biggest sporting event on the planet.

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