Colombian Tatiana Calderon became the first Latin American woman to drive a Formula One car in an official capacity when she took part in a promotional event for the Sauber team in Mexico on Tuesday. The 25-year-old GP3 racer was appointed official test driver for the Ferrari-powered Swiss team last March after a year in a development role but on Tuesday she had her first opportunity to drive the 2018 car.
“I can’t describe the sensation of being in the car, I don’t want to go back to my GP3 car,” she said afterwards. Teams are allowed to do a maximum of 100km – equivalent to 23 laps of the Mexican Grand Prix circuit – on such filming days. “Since I started racing, my dream and goal has been to drive at the highest level one day,” she had said when it was announced she would drive the C37 car at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
“As a Latin American driver, there could not be a more special place for me to make my debut behind the wheel of a Formula One car.”
