SIMONA De Silvestro has confirmed her interest in driving a Gen3 Supercar after returning to the paddock for the first time in more than three years.
De Silvestro lobbed at Hidden Valley today and will be on site throughout the weekend’s Darwin Triple Crown.
The Swiss star, who has been open about her desire to race again at Bathurst, reportedly was in the mix for a 2023 wildcard with Walkinshaw Andretti United before that fell over.
With Joey Mawson firming once more to partner PremiAir Racing’s Tim Slade, there could be just one seat yet to be filled for this year’s enduros, that being alongside Todd Hazelwood at the Blanchard Racing Team.
Asked for her impressions of Gen3, De Silvestro was positive.
“They look quite cool actually,” the Porsche-contracted driver told broadcast host Jess Yates.
“I definitely hate being at the racetrack and not driving, it’s pretty miserable, but I think the car looks good.
“So far I haven’t seen it live yet, I’ve just arrived, so I think tomorrow I will have a little bit of an impression but I was hearing them drive around and it was quite loud which I think is cool because nowadays you don’t have that anymore so much.
“So I would love to drive it, for sure.”
An enduro co-drive remains a far more likely option than a full-time return though, as De Silvestro signalled her push towards a 2024 IndyCar campaign.
“I love the series, for sure. I never say no to anything, if you look at my career, when the opportunity was right I took it,” she said.
“I would not say no to it but at the moment I don’t think it is really possible.
“How racing is, it depends on sponsorship and being at the right time at the right place and right now with Porsche this is going pretty well and we’ve been working really hard maybe to get back into IndyCar as well next year so that’s at the moment the focus.
“But if somebody calls, who knows.”
De Silvestro, 34, has 90 Supercars Championship races to her name including five starts in the Bathurst 1000.
