Interview with racer Tatiana Calderon, Alfa Romeo F1 test driver

Tatiana Calderón is probably the fastest woman on the planet right now, and the 27-year-old Colombian’s racing career has been interrupted by a number of firsts. She was the first woman to compete in both the Japanese Super Formula and Formula 2 and was part of the first all-female LMP2 driver line-up in Le Mans history earlier this year. She is also the first woman Alfa Romeo has signed as a test driver for their Formula 1 team, and that’s where she goes.

“I want to be a full-time Formula 1 driver, that’s my dream. That’s why I wake up in the morning,” Calderón told MotorTrend during a virtual round table event from Alfa Romeo Racing.

But getting a place at the height of motorsport is a Herculean task for even the most experienced and happiest (male) drivers. F1 is by far the most expensive, exclusive and difficult form of racing, and for women there are other obstacles that have little to do with talent or experience. After all, this is a sport in which no woman has been behind the wheel for almost 30 years. In the 70-year history of F1, only two women have qualified for and participated in a race – Desiré Wilson and Lella Lombardi. The last woman to compete in a race (despite not having qualified for it) was Giovanna Amati in 1992.

In recent years, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula 1, has tried to strengthen the presence of women at the highest level in motorsport. In 2009, the Women in Motorsport Commission was established to recognize women in motorsport and encourage participation in them. Calderon has been an ambassador for the program for two years.

“We are trying to create this awareness that young girls can really start karting,” said Calderón. “Because if we want girls to reach Formula 1, they have to start very early. These days, parents wouldn’t drive their girls to karting, they’d take their boy with them. We want to change that.”

Calderón started out with karting. She has been in karting since she was nine and has since worked her way up the traditional ranks. Although Calderón is aware that there are now racing series specifically for women, she still believes that the best way to get women involved in motorsport is for women to prove themselves against men. She firmly believes that if you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best.

However, there are not just a few places where women are put on their hind feet. Visibility, securing sponsorships, and even the cars themselves. Calderón told us that while racing is one of the few sports where men and women can compete on an equal footing with the same equipment, the cars themselves need to be specifically tailored to women – and the cars in Formula 1, 2 and 3 are all built around men.

“You have to take into account the measurements of girls so that we are comfortable when we hit the level where three tenths (a second) is the difference between winning and one tenth (place),” said Calderón. “But again, this is a very expensive sport, regardless of your gender. We have to force exposure at the beginning because that way you make changes and get sponsorships.”

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But the cars and sponsorships are only part of the fight. The other is to get women to participate in the first place.

“We definitely need more girls,” said Calderón. “So I think this Ferrari driver academy that we are about to take is a great first step.”

The FIA ​​young women program called Girls on Track Rising Stars recently signed a deal with the Ferrari Driver Academy – the same academy that spawned Charles Leclerc and other F1 personalities – to help two women have at least one full racing season in their Region to allow Formula 4 championship. The hope is that with a name like Ferrari and some of the best cars behind these women, they will have the opportunity not only to drive professionally but also to win and be recognized for other opportunities in F3, F2 and maybe even F1 .

Calderón is a big advocate of this and similar endeavors, and she doesn’t want women to worry about racing being dominated by men. She says if running is a woman’s dream, she should pursue it relentlessly.

“Nobody can put limits on what you can achieve (as a woman). You don’t know what we can do. When you find your passion, you have to follow your dreams and work hard,” said Calderón. “I absolutely have the feeling that there are no limits.”