Simona De Silvestro will write an exclusive daily column for Speedcafe.com during race week at the Indianapolis 500.

The former Supercars driver is contesting the 2021 edition of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ as part of a predominantly female-staffed Paretta Autosport squad.

The 32-year-old Swiss star has five prior starts in the event, the last of which came in 2015 for Andretti Autosport.

De Silvestro, who has an IndyCar Series podium to her name, will take fans on the journey with her Brick by Brick column running daily from Tuesday, May 25 to Monday, May 31 (AEST).

Practice for the event is already underway, with De Silvestro making a solid start to her campaign – finishing 13th in Practice 2 and compiling plenty of mileage.

Qualifying will take place this coming Sunday and Monday (AEST), with the race starting 02:45 on the morning of May 31.

“I’m just really happy to be here. I’ve always kind of thought about coming back to the 500 and this day came so it’s quite special,” De Silvestro said during Practice 3.

“I’m really grateful for Beth [Paretta, team owner] calling me for this opportunity. It feels pretty good out there to be honest, the car is really solid.”

Speedcafe.com founder and owner Brett “Crusher” Murray welcomed De Silvestro’s insight into the famous race.

“Simona is a star of the sport and it is great to have her a part of the Speedcafe.com team for this year’s 500,” said Murray.

“The programme Beth Paretta has put together with the Penske organization is first-class and deserves to be applauded.

“A lot of people know what the 500 means to me personally and we are always keen to give our readership the best coverage of the event as possible.”

Paretta added: “It is great to team with Crusher and the Speedcafe.com team for this year’s 500.

“It has been an exciting journey so far and we have plenty ahead of us and we look forward to sharing that through Simona’s column with the Speedcafe.com readership.”

Practice 5 will take place from 02:00 to 08:00 on Saturday (AEST).