It must be ironic for her having moved halfway around the world to racing in another category, she is now battling against not one Kiwi, but three who are all in the the top four of the championship.
"It's amazing that there are three Kiwis here that are also quite fast and I can't wait to go to New Zealand to try and find out what makes them so fast," de Silvestro told the Weekend Herald with a chuckle. "It just goes to show you guys do it right and create some pretty good race car drivers."
The Swiss driver's pedigree until now has been firmly rooted in open wheelers and the move to big taxis of the Supercars series has come with a few challenges. None are too insurmountable to worry de Silvestro and she is relishing the challenge of getting herself further up the field each race. The good thing for her and a growing legion of fans is that she has time to get to to grips with the close racing and big heavy cars.
"It is definitely getting better [adjusting to the car] and I feel we are getting closer to my teammates every round which is good.
"For sure there is a lot of work to do on how I drive these cars. It's a big change and a lot of hard work, especially against people who have raced these cars a lot. It's a lot to take in and easy to get frustrated knowing I was fast in other classes.
"This year is all about relearning and it's a bit tough having to wrap my head around a whole new way of driving. At least I have a bit of time and it's definitely moving in the right direction.
"It's a different type of racing to open wheel and there's a lot of bumping and pushing around. Sure its physical but I've always trained hard.
"The biggest thing has been the heat inside the car. With open wheel cars at least your head and shoulders are in the fresh air," said de Silvestro.
Because de Silvestro has raced in various categories she's used to flying around tracks with various configurations that are not just ovals. The Nissan pilot has, in fact, raced in Australia and the Supercars in the past, having paired with Renee Gracie to take on Mt Panorama in 2015 and 2016.
"It is good that it's mostly race tracks we race race on [not ovals] but it is also good that there a few street courses as well [IndyCar also has a few]. The adjustment hasn't been too difficult and I've been surprised how many cool places there are we race on like Phillip Island and others," she said.
The Supercars category is one of hardest and tightest fought championships anywhere in the world. The racing is close and just a second can cover 20 cars in qualifying and there is no respite during the actual race, as drivers are battling each other all through the field.
"In open wheel racing you kind of attack in the first few laps and then wait and see how things settle. Here, there is always pressure from behind and you're also putting pressure on the guys in front of you.
"There is a lot of technique to driving these cars as there is not a lot of downforce so you're constantly having to work. The level and skill of the drivers is incredible and it's insanely competitive. One-tenth of second can move you from 20th to 14th.
"It's a different kind of racing with it being so close in the whole field. It's a lot of fun though and one of the best racing there is - it's exciting," said de Silvestro.
Nascar legend to race in NZ sprint car series
Nascar legend Tony Stewart will race in New Zealand this year.
The 46-year-old three-time NASCAR Cup winner will contest the Porter Hire International Sprint Car Series in early December.
The series begins on December 9 at Vodafone Speedway - Western Springs in Auckland before heading to Robertson Holden Speedway Palmerston North for a midweek meeting ahead of a return to Auckland the following weekend.
Stewart will attend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Award Banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas in the first week of December before grabbing his helmet and race suit to head to New Zealand for his first ever visit.
"This has taken months to put this deal together", said promoter Greg Mosen.
"Tony has an extremely busy schedule, so getting this together is going to be great for the profile of Speedway here in New Zealand"he added.
Stewart will be piloting his Rush Truck Centers Artic Cat J&J Sprint Car which is being shipped late October to ensure it arrives here in time. Jimmy Carr is traveling with Tony to ensure the car is up to the task.
Supercars points
Scott McLaughlin 1608
Jamie Whincup 1602
Fabian Coulthard 1450
Shane van Gisbergen 1377
Chaz Mostert 1257
Mark Winterbottom 1173
Craig Lowndes 1104
Simona de Silvestro 576
- additional reporting Dale Budge
