Women continue to break barriers in motorsport. While Jamie Chadwick joined the Williams Drivers Academy, Tatiana Calderon is already part of Formula 1. Not much is said about her role as test and development driver for Alfa Romeo.
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The Colombian recently tested IndyCar for the first time. After a successful test with AJ Foyt Racing, their President Larry Foyt hinted at the possibility of having Calderon as one of their drivers for 2022.
Alfa Romeo test driver Tatiana Calderon will be allowed to drive in IndyCar in the 2022 season
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While not very visible in the world of F1, Calderon has a long list of successes in motorsport. Starting with go-karts at the age of 9, the Colombian rose through the ranks to secure a place at Alfa Romeo as a test and development driver.
In 2019, she became the first woman to complete a lap in Formula 2. She also tested the Alfa Romeo F1 car at the Mexican Grand Prix in 2018.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 11: Robert Kubica of Poland drives the (88) Alfa Romeo Racing C39 Ferrari during practice prior to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on December 11, 2020 in Abu Dhabi the route, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Bryn Lennon / Getty Images)
Through her sponsor ROKiT she had the chance to test Sebastian Bourdais’ AJ Foyt Racing car on the Lexington Circuit in the USA. While doing several steady laps, Larry Foyt admitted that her pace impressed him.
He said, “What was impressive was that she just jumped in and got on. She’s driven a lot of fast cars and cars with quite a bit of downforce, but an Indy car was likely heavier to steer than anything she’d driven before.
“I would say it is on our list of potential drivers,” added Foyt.
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Calderon is excited about their first IndyCar test
Although Calderon has made impressive efforts, Foyt admitted that there will be meetings to discuss their lineup. He said, “2022… I don’t want to go into that because the situation is open – and I mean really open – right now. We will have a meeting with ROKiT soon. There are different options on the table. “
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Despite the uncertainty, Calderon admitted that her previous experience of testing an F1 car helped her IndyCar experience. She said, “All cars have their special qualities that are difficult to handle, so I’m very lucky because the IndyCar performed well and had less downforce, which is the direction of Formula One.”
There have already been ten female drivers at IndyCar, and Calderon has the option to extend the list in 2022. Could this open up a potential seat for a female driver to compete in F1 in the future? Only time can tell.
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The post Alfa Romeo F1 driver Tatiana Calderon competing for IndyCar Seat in 2022 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
