Simona De Silvestro has now completed two full days of testing at the Ferrari test track in Fiorano, at the wheel of a two-year-old Sauber C31. She completed a total of 180 laps without any problems, a total of 540 kilometres of running. If this was done in a current Sauber she would have qualified for an FIA Superlicence.
“Simona drove very well, had a good pace and was consistent,” said Sauber test engineer Paul Russell. “Overall these were two very positive days.”
The team did not issue any lap times as there is no means by which they can be compared to anything meaningful as she was using a two-year-old car with tyres that were more in keeping with this year’s rubber.
“Everything feels more familiar to me compared to yesterday, when things were new to me,” de Silvestro said. “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’m already looking forward to my next opportunity to test the C31.”
Simona’s next test is scheduled to take place at Valencia on June 25-27.
joeblogsf1 
Unless she’s lapping in one minute range she might consider staying in IndyCar.
Why? Why 1 minute? Why not 1 min 10 secs? Why not 50 secs?The point is you can’t make any comparisons and because of that you can’t set any benchmarks. It’s a two year old car on this years tyres, so there’s nothing to compare it to.
Because the lap records at Fiorano in an F1 car range from one minute in 1994 to 56 seconds in 2004. Someone lapping in a 2102 car at 1:30 would clearly be way off the mark.
what would have been useful to know was the difference between the first solid lap time and the last. Just for fun….
Would you have said that if it was a guy instead of a gal? (I’m guessing not…)
So you expect her to be nailing the lap record on her first outing? Also, you expect that she will make no improvements in pace from her first run? “If at first you don’t succeed, just give up”. Yep, that is how you get to Formula One for sure!
Good to read some positive news about F1 – makes a change!
Sounds like she is the real deal. I really hope Todt and the FIA can look seriously at how the door can be opened to Simona and other women.
Over here in Indycar she has most certainly demonstrated competence… which means she’s in the top 99.9999% of human beings.
Whether she’s fast enough to matter (in gender-neutral terms) remains to be seen. One way to find out…
Ooops… I’m in the top 99.9999% of human beings… and so is your mother. Simona’s in the top 0.0001%…
(Too bad there’s no way to edit our mistakes before they go clear around the world…)
I wonder if this means that Sutil’s time is up as his weight counts against him. Is the Median money enough to keep him?
It seems Sauber needs funds and having the first female driver (in a long time) might attract some new sponsors.
Her size and weight will probably benefit her if she is up to the constant g-forces (which the test might imply).
I think the main thing that counts against Adrian Sutil is the fact that he actually doesn’t appear to be any good……..
Or that Simona doesn’t appear to have STABBED A MAN IN THE NECK. Sorry Adrian just in case you’d forgotten…
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that all of the circumstances surrounding that incident have been made public, so that we can have complete knowledge of what happened? If they have, please tell me so I can have a look too.
As for how good Sutil is, this is a difficult one, as he has shown good ability and speed on his way to F1, particularly in racing with Hammy as is team mate. I would agree that he isn’t showing great form at present though. But then neither are Sauber either.
It doesn’t matter if it was made public Sutil has a criminal record now – so unless you think it was a judicial conspiracy I expect he likely stabbed a man in the neck (I’m not imbuing motive or anything just stating a fact). In the same way Briatore shouldn’t ever be allowed back in the sport I have concerns about Adrian. But to be honest my comment was relatively light hearted – I was merely looking for the positives Sauber can list when they one day give Simona a race seat trial – I do wonder if Monishas first question in driver negotiations is now ‘and so firstly ever stabbed a man in the neck? No? Just checking…’
I was only questioning the emphasis you placed on the matter. He was charged with a criminal offence, the circumstances were not totally explained, and he got some penalty, which has been paid in whatever way. I’d simply like to know more before condemning Sutil’s character outright that’s all. As to Monisha, I’d fully expect her first Q to Simona would have been ” so how many euros can you bring?” And whilst Briatore can be rightly condemned for his part in the Singapore scandal, Pat Symonds is back, and I doubt that only Flavio & Pat knew what was going on! So if bans were needed they would probably extend all along the Pit lane and as far as Bernie….glass houses stones etc etc…..
I wont post links as that’s not allowed but there’s a couple of videos of her driving the Sauber on YouTube, one of which is filmed on a Go Pro camera attached to her helmet which is pretty cool.
Thanks for the heads up (no pun intended). I’m going to search for those videos now and will post-up the link(s) if I find em.
And not like she was ever really a prospect to race in F1 on “merit”, but does this weekend = nails 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the coffin of Susie Wolff’s F1 “career”, in favor of a female w/ genuine “talent”? Or does marrying someone who’s owning/managing/directing F1 team(s) trumps talent?
Owen, I just watched the video you referenced and it was awesome! Thanks for mentioning it!
Everyone should take a look at it, or Joe embed it or whatever. It’s entitled “A Formula One Lap with Simona De Silvestro” via Sauber’s official YouTube channel.
Yes and for the benefit of those who must bang on about lap times, get your stopwatches ready…..
I make it 1:09 for the out-lap which still means nothing at all. Doing a quick out-and-in run we’ve still no idea whether she’s the fastest person ever to take the wheel or a second off the pace.
But Sauber are prepared to spend time and money on her, which presumably means that they think she’s at least “good enough”.
What a video!! They should make these cameras mandatory. Imagine seeing the Hamilton/Rosberg dual from that camera in Bahrain…………
If a GoPro camera can reproduce sound like that, Bernie and his TV company mates should take a lesson!
Jimbo, if I’m allowed, have a goog for Canal +
(just in case you weren’t aware…..anyone, it’s worth it 🙂 )
love the helmet cam! we need more of that in the FOM broadcast! remember when webber had it in brazil a couple of years back? I think there was one more instance but thats it.
Football, tennis, rugby and cricket, to name just a few sports, do not have mixed gender teams.
Formula One has an opportunity here it should nurture. If women and men cannot compete against each other on the race track, for whatever reason, why not set up an all female grid…
Just think of Susy Raganelli, Desire Wilson, Jutta Kleinschmidt, Helle Nice, Michele Mouton, Danika Patrick, Susie Wolf, Joni Wiman, Alice Powell and Simona De Silvestro all racing against each other!
Err tennis does its called mixed doubles.
You fail to see the point
Is the point that they could placate LdM’s constant bashing about having more cars by actually having more cars? Because last I heard the teams were all flush with cash and desperate to spend more on building and running another two cars.
ok then, a woman’s only racing series wouldn’t be much good. but as f1 is a team sport and those teams have plenty of women in them including team principals you could argue that f1 already is a mixed sport. but you said does not have mixed gender teams and tennis does so instead of assuming I didn’t get the point why not accept that I was pointing out tennis should be removed from that list.
Americas Cup teams (sailing, if you don’t know) can be mixed too.
Thanks for the updates.
OH thanks for the info on utube
Great to see De Silvestro testing well in an old car I hope she gets to test a current car ASAP. Then De Silvestro can be given a drive based on talent not on her size or weight.
As for the weight issue around F1 drivers I think it would be a massive mistake to go down the horse racing/jockey route. Many jockeys have eating disorders and other problems connected to their need to maintain stupidly low artificial weights.
F1 already has gone down the horse jockey route… it’s one of the reasons you won’t find many US drivers interested (although not the only one)… little over here = medium over there…
How often does the Ferarri open up their Fiorano circuit to non Ferrari cars? Not often I would have thought? Sauber with their Ferrari engine deal must have a bit of pull.
I think many drivers and teams would love the opportunity to do 540km of unimpeded running. Sauber must be pretty sure that Simona is the real deal, if they arranged for two full days of testing for her on Ferrari’s private circuit.
I’m guessing her sponsors that made up the rather different livery on the C31 for these days had a big part in covering the costs of putting her in the car for the test. Not to say she isn’t genuinely worthy of the opportunity, but I’m guessing that’s where the money for it came from.
it helps if you have a Ferrari Engine in the back of your car id imagine 🙂
Not this year’s ‘power train’ if you want to set a decent time. 🙂
but if you want to use Fiorano……
The nature of the test is intriguing, Why was the car prepared in a livery based on Simona’s personal sponsors and with all Sauber sponsors removed? (I see no sponsorship conflicts) Assuming the sponsors paid/ contributed to the cost of the test, why are they so small? They are barely legible on most photos.
From a commercial perspective I’m guessing the livery updates and sponsorship sizing is part of a larger project. My hope is this larger project leads to Simona getting time during a race weekend. Perhaps in Montreal / Austin? Markets in which her profile is more established.
Now if Sauber could just find a way to make the C33 reliable and maybe a bit more competitive!
Simona apart, the real weekend story seems to be how Mr E managed to get a tax exposure position of around £1.2 billion, down to an agreed settlement with UK Tax officials of £10 million…..whatever one thinks of the bloke, he sure knows how to bag a deal!! On top of that, he is possibly the bloke on the planet, whose ex wife pays him £100 million a year as a divorce settlement!!
It’s absolutely no wonder that he walks back and forth over Big Companies….and all of F1!! Also, the story, from BBC Panorama, may well assist him in his legal battle in Germany….now there’s a surprise isn’t it??
At the same time, this issue, according to the Beeb, may make it more difficult for certain Stakeholders in F1, to float the business….hmmm, maybe they would be interested in Mr E buying their shares instead? You got to hand it to Bernie, he is extraordinary. Jeez, if we replaced our Government with just him, the country would have no debt after 6 months, full employment, the NHS would be expanding and having no staff or cash problems, Schools would be improving education and expanding hugely, our Military would be the best equipped and largest in the world….oh, and Concorde would be back flying too..! Yeah, just a dream eh? However, the way Mr E goes through life, you just think something like that would happen if he ran us the way he runs his Empire!
I don’t agree. I am sure the tax story is some kind of diversion.
Assuming the Panorama story is true (BE investigated by the taxman for nine years until settling in 2008) this means, at the time CVC took made their grab for F1, BE was already being investigated. So why pay money to someone to avoid an investigation he must have known was taking place? Or was the taxman covert for most of this investigation? I’d watch it but I suspect it’ll be the BBC hyping something and nothing again.
With Bernie you can never tell what is going on. I suspect there is always an underlying reason for everything he gets up to. I also suspect that you have to get up very very early in the morning to have even the slightest chance of getting the better of him.
No, if you replaced your gov’t with BE, then taxes and fees would quadruple, services would be cut to the bone, half the national revenue would go into his pockets, and he’d sell the rights to future UK revenue to parties unknown who reside offshore.
And even then he’d still have admirers who favor selfish, destructive behavior over responsible actions that serve the community which he chose to plunder…
Yeah….guess that is another slant….and probably more likely…..ah well!
You’re a good sport 😉
RShack
That is a wonderful concise history of europe after WWII. 🙂 🙂
The purpose of these tests is to enable Simona to gain a super license. Unil that happens, she won’t be doing any driving at any race events. Again, I bring attention to this sponsored super license quest as being media genious
I wonder if she already had the milage to get hers Super License?
No. and she hasn’t yet.
just a quick question regarding a super licence joe, is it “just” as much mileage as you can say 500Kms or does it have to be done at a certain pre-determined/comparable lap time, like 107% rule in qualifying but maybe 120% instead or similar set up.
Just mileage
So, does a two-year old chassis not count as “current” for Super Licence earning purposes?
You need 300 km in a current car.
Yes, I know well about the 300km, and we know ~540km was covered at Fiorano (most of it presumably “consistently at racing speeds” as also required), my question concerns what is “current” for Super Licence gaining purposes — the phrasing about the pre-Super Licence testing in a “current” car is older than the rule about not being able to use cars less than two years old outside the testing restrictions, and I’ve got half a memory that someone else has already set the precedent of using a two-year-old car to get their 300km. But I might very well be misremembering.
You are.
Fair enough!
‘Current’ means this year’s car. As in 2014.
Give her a Super Licence and stick her in the car for FP1 in Britain and Germany and we can have a direct comparison between her and Suzie, Simona has run well in Indy Car but I wouldnt write Suzie off just because of poorish DTM results, F1 is a different ball game altogether and they could both have what it takes.
Why do poorish DTM results not count? I don’t understand your logic.
Because, although DTM is a spec series, it is essential to be with the right team to be competitive. Susie was never with the right team. A lot of damn good drivers, such as Mika and DC, have “failed” in DTM for that reason.
So why does anyone compete in DTM if all it does is destroy your career?
A love of German beer and bratwurst?
Probably one would find that ex Merc drivers have a pension fill up from DTM. As Martin & Ronny note, even Mika, DC, and also Ralf, made little/no impact in DTM, and they were no slouches….Also, it doesn’t destroy a career that is already past!
I don’t remember a test like this. I can’t quite see the strategy – mileage runs in a personally sponsored two year old car – has this ever been done before?
What’s the goal? Is she going to be doing any FP1 runs at race weekends in the current equipment?
I miss Simona in Indycar this year, she had a superb 2013. I hope she’s racing next year, somewhere.
Joe, please keep the buzz about women in F1 alive. If they can be fighter pilots they can be F1 pilots, or play any role in an F1 team, for that matter. Thanks!
Video I saw was two laps, starting first lap from pit w/ cold tires and slowing at end of second lap to return to pit. Second lap appx 1:08 including obvious deliberate slowing on the last straight, prepatory to exit. In a game of tenths that doesn’t tell much but certainly is not taking 1:30 to get around . . .
That was not a serious lap.
How’s this?
hats off to brilliant engineering solutions in the new regime – but it is sad to think we won’t be hearing this engine noise any more (yes I know Dinosaur Old fart etc.) She’s no slouch either is she?
I suppose it shows how far we have not come when we discuss if a woman is good enough to race an F1 car after years of letting them run our countries go to war and head major corporations.
Ah well.
Running a country and racing in F1 requires very different qualities, though. And that’s exactly why we keep talking.
Just seen on the BBC website that Nigel Stepney has passed on. 😦