American F1 Aspirant Alexander Rossi Joins SAFEisFAST.com Roster
Rossi, 20, is a Californian native but now lives in England as he progresses his goal of a career in the FIA Formula One World Championship. He first sprung to prominence by dominating the 2008 Formula BMW Americas Championship with a record-breaking 10 wins and went on to clinch the Formula BMW World Finals in Mexico City, earning a test drive in a Sauber-BMW F1 car. The following year, at age 18, he became the youngest driver to earn a Formula One Super license, and last year was chosen by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), the governing body of world motorsport, to join its exclusive FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy. Rossi is currently the Test Driver for the Caterham F1 Team, a role he takes alongside competing for Arden Caterham in the World Series by Renault championship.
Rossi will take over the instructor seat from accomplished Mexican racer Adrian Fernandez and will join a growing list of top-level drivers and industry experts – including former F1 World Champion Jenson Button, two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Alexander Wurz, INDYCAR champions Gil de Ferran and Dario Franchitti, fitness expert Jim Leo of PitFit Training and noted performance expert and founder of Performance Prime, Dr. Jacques Dallaire – who are willing to help the next generation of racers.
Rossi will be accepting questions via SAFEisFAST.com from August 20. His answers will be posted daily from August 27 through August 31. Rossi’s tenure coincides with the release of a new video tutorial “Nutrition: Fueling the Driver" – the science of preparing a driver for maximum performance – which debuts tomorrow.
Alexander Rossi, Caterham F1 Team Test Driver: “I’m thrilled to be involved with SAFEisFAST and very much looking forward to answering questions from motorsport fans and young drivers online.
“I’m very aware of the impact that we have as Formula One drivers, and I feel it is extremely important to help set a clear example to young drivers and potential racers of the future; not only to guide, inspire and help, but also to distinguish between driving on track and on the road.
“Furthermore, I feel there is a real acceleration of motorsport within America, in particular the heightened awareness of Formula One with the Grand Prix in Texas coming up later this year. Currently, I’m the only American with a superlicense, however I hope that with the embrace of Formula One within our country, which is arguably the pinnacle of motorsport, and by representing the USA and giving people someone to support, I can hope to inspire and encourage more young drivers and help the expansion of motorsport for the future."
SAFEisFAST.com is a free online resource offering video tutorials on safety, fitness, mental skills, race craft, career development, sponsorship, marketing and more to assist the careers of drivers in all forms of racing. The website was created by the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC), and is led by president Bobby Rahal, in conjunction with the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability.
“Alexander has worked extremely hard to open doors for himself and create opportunities, and clearly has what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport," said Rahal. “His knowledge and experience will be a valuable resource for others who have similar aspirations."