ALFA ROMEO SAUBER F1 TEAM 2018

05.11.2018 LADY DRIVER MAKES HER MARK DURING ALFA ROMEO SAUBER TEST

TATIANA CALDERON = MEXICAN GP - ALFA ROMEO SAUBER F1 TEAM

Tatiana Calderón became the first female driver to get behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo liveried F1 car since the Milanese brand returned to grand prix racing as a sponsor at the start of the year when she took to the track in Mexico post-race for a ‘filming’ day

Tatiana Calderón became the first female driver to get behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo liveried F1 car since the Milanese brand returned to grand prix racing as a sponsor at the start of the year when she took to the track in Mexico post-race for a ‘filming’ day.

The Colombian lady has also indicated that following this appearance she could soon be set for another test drive in the Ferrari-powered 2018 Sauber C37.

During the test, which was under the direction of the ‘filming’ days that teams are permitted and happened following the conclusion of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, Calderón completed 23 incident free laps of Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

It was the first time she had sat behind the wheel of an F1 car during her racing career and the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team indicated that Calderón “quickly adapted to the demands of driving at the highest level in motorsport [and] she demonstrated her focus and skills, impressing the team with her professionalism and dedication.”

Afterwards Calderón said: “Driving the Sauber C37 was an incredible experience. The power, braking and grip of this car are unbelievable, and I felt very comfortable on track. After a few laps, you start getting used to the speed, and I had lots of fun. This is a day I will remember forever.”

Meanwhile Xevi Pujolar, the team’s Head of Track Engineering added: “Tatiana drove a Formula One car for the first time today and did a very good job. We are happy to see her perform so well, and once again were impressed by her dedication and work ethic. This event marks a positive step for our sport, and we look forward to seeing Tatiana continue to make progress.”

Such was the positivity of the test that it’s being reported that she could find herself back behind the wheel of the 2018 Sauber C37 again in the near future and F1 news website grandprix.com has reported that the “Radio Marca” station posed that question to her after her test drive to which she replied: "If you had asked me before the test I would have said there is no possibility, but after the test, everything changes very fast.

"It was very important because you can say you're ready, but you have to prove it,” she added. “And the team was surprised because although there were very few laps, they saw that I can compete very well in this car." It’s also being reported that for next year she will try to pursue a drive in F2.

Photos: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team - 2018 FIA F1 World Championship

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