A1 Team Switzerland is to give 21-year-old Rahel Frey an outing as the team's rookie driver at the Malaysian round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport on November 25.
Rahel Frey, heads to round three of the championship next weekend at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and will be the second female driver to be part of the Friday rookie session.
Following the additional summer test session at Silverstone (UK) Max Welti, Team Principal A1 Team Switzerland, had decided to give two young female drivers the chance to show their capabilities at the wheel: Rahel Frey and Natacha Gachnang, the team's rookie driver in Brno (CZ).
Having recognised both rookies' potential, team principal Max Welti has appointed Rahel Frey to represent her country in Malaysia and be part of A1 Team Switzerland's line up as a rookie driver to Neel Jani.
Rahel Frey: "It's a fantastic opportunity to represent my country in Malaysia. I can't wait to see what I can do to help Neel Jani and A1 Team Switzerland. I never thought I would another great chance to drive again so soon. I am determined to make this Malaysia Grand Prix weekend a positive one.
My goal eventually is to become the first female driver to win in this series, just as I did in Formula Renault 2000 at Dijon in 2004. I am not afraid of the challenge of the rookie session to learn the new car and track very quickly in what will probably be very difficult weather conditions.
I can't wait to meet the team again and to continue the work that we completed at the Silverstone test."
Max Welti: "I'm very pleased to be bringing the second of the two ladies that we tested at Silverstone and to have a female driver in the car again. Rahel is very impressive and I'm confident she will make a major contribution to our team in Malaysia."
Rahel Frey was born in Niederbipp, Switzerland on 23 February 1986.
She began racing competitively in karting in 1998 where she enjoyed much success until 2004. She then graduated to Formula Renault 2000 and finished fourth overall taking a race victory and two podiums in the nine-race season.
Rahel continued racing in Swiss Formula Renault 2000 the following season and finished third overall with two wins, six podiums and seven fastest laps from nine rounds.
Her strong performances earned her a drive in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2000 series in 2006. In her spare time Rahel likes to work on her personal fitness and is a keen skiier and runner.
Q and A with Rahel Frey - A1 Team Switzerland
Q - Do you feel nervous about this first experience with A1 Team Switzerland?
A - No, it is an incredible opportunity to continue the excellent work started with the team during the Silverstone tests and the chance to show my racing potential.
Q - Do You already know the Sepang track ?
A - I like to get to know new tracks and have already studied the 15 turns of the Sepang track on the Playstation. I hope that this "crash course" will be enough to allow me to get on the pace right away.
Q - Do you fear the special weather conditions in Malaysia?
A - It is hard for me to imagine how difficult or easy it will be to adapt. It will be my first ever time in Malaysia. But I am fit and I also know that rain showers can be frequent on the track.
Q - What do you hope to achieve in Malaysia?
A - Most important is a great result for A1 Team Switzerland.
Round three of the A1 Grand Prix series takes place in Sepang (Malaysia) 23-25 November . The action will be shown live and in highlights on Schweizer Sportfernsehen (SSF) in Switzerland.
Follow the race on Schweizer Sportfernsehen (SSF)
Live streaming on www.a1gp.com then click on view live racing stats.
- Agnes Carlier - photos A1GP
