Swiss · Thun, Switzerland · Born 1 September 1988Swiss racing driver known as 'Iron Maiden' for her fearless driving style in IndyCar, Formula 1 test driver, and Formula E pioneer competitor
Simona de Silvestro was born on 1 September 1988 in Thun, in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, though she grew up in the country's French-speaking region, and began karting at seven despite Switzerland's decades-long ban on circuit racing, forcing her family to travel abroad for competitions. De Silvestro made her professional single-seater debut in 2004, and moved to IndyCar in 2010, quickly earning the nickname "Iron Maiden" after suffering serious burns to her hands in a fiery practice crash for the Indianapolis 500 — an injury she repeated the following year but recovered from to continue competing at the top level. De Silvestro finished second in Houston and fifth in Baltimore during the 2013 IndyCar season, becoming only the third woman in series history to record a podium finish, after Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher, and signed as a test and development driver for the Sauber Formula One team in 2014, though she never made a race start in the category. De Silvestro went on to compete in Formula E, becoming the first and only woman ever to score points in that championship, and in the Australian Supercars Championship, before transitioning to competitive bobsleigh in 2022, representing her country at the 2026 Winter Olympics and continuing a remarkably diverse career across both motorsport and winter sport disciplines.
First female F1 affiliate driver in decades, IndyCar success
How They Played
Aggressive racer known for wheel-to-wheel combat and consistency
Lasting Impact
Pioneering female driver who broke barriers in F1 and IndyCar
Career Honours
- Sauber F1 Development Driver
- IndyCar series regular (100+ starts)
- Formula E competitor
- Swiss motorsport pioneer
| Constructor | Season(s) | Races |
|---|---|---|
| Formula BMW USA | 2006 | — |
| Champ Car Atlantic (HVM/Rookie) | 2007 | 12 |
| Newman Wachs Racing (Atlantic Championship) | 2008 | — |
| Team Stargate Worlds (Atlantic Championship) | 2009 | — |
| HVM Racing (IndyCar) | 2010–2012 | — |
| KV Racing Technology (IndyCar) | 2013 | — |
| Sauber F1 Team (Affiliated/Test Driver) | 2014 | — |
| Andretti Autosport (IndyCar) | 2015 | — |
| Andretti Formula E | 2015–2016 | — |
| Nissan Motorsport / Kelly Racing (Supercars Championship) | 2017–2019 | — |
| Heinricher Racing / Meyer Shank Racing (IMSA WeatherTech) | 2019 | — |
| TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team (Test/Development Driver) | 2020–2022 | — |
| Paretta Autosport (IndyCar) | 2021–2022 | — |
| Shell V-Power Racing Team (Supercars wildcard) | 2023 | — |
| Career Total | — | 12 |
Swiss Athletes