Motorsport: Simona taken out at Clipsal 500

Simona de Silvestro during the Clipsal 500. Photo / Getty Images

It was no way to treat a lady.

But the first full-time Supercars female driver - Simona de Silvestro - reckons she has no hard feelings with Holden's James Courtney despite their season opening tangle in Adelaide on Sunday.

Former IndyCar driver de Silvestro was on track to push for a top 15 finish on full-time debut before Courtney turned her Nissan around on the tough Adelaide street circuit.

As result, de Silvestro finished a lap down in third last in the 26-strong field.
Courtney finished fourth.

"I was trying to get in the pits and he didn't want to let me get in the pits I guess," de Silvestro told speedcafe.

"I tried to go as fast as I could around that corner and then he just hit me and took me out.

"It was really frustrating because it ruined our race for sure, and I think that's not the way to really go about it."

Yet de Silvestro did not want to point fingers after officially launching her three year Nissan deal in Adelaide, becoming the first full-time touring car female driver in Australia since Christine Gibson in 1975.

For the record, Courtney was all apologies after stewards opted not to penalise him over the contact.

"I didn't know she was coming into the pits and I was up the inside," he said.

"That's racing. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit her but we're all racing hard."

Meanwhile, the other history maker Alex Rullo - just 16 - finished last on Sunday in an inauspicious debut as the youngest Supercars driver.

The youngster beat Paul Dumbrell's age record set in 1999 by 79 days.