The Sauber F1 Team has taken a young driver under its wing, as the team announces Tatiana Calderón for the position as development driver from 2017. The new hire a good sign of financial stability from the team, considering that they did not have the funds necessary to have a young driver in 2016.
At this point, it’s unknown whether Calderón will actually have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Sauber C36, although she will be available for the mandatory young driver testing mandated by the FIA. It is unlikely that she will be driving in any of the pre-season test sessions.
Monisha Kaltenborn, the Team Principal of the Sauber F1 Team, welcomed the team’s latest recruit:
“We are very pleased to welcome Tatiana onboard to the Sauber family. We have the opportunities and facilities to provide Tatiana a professional platform on which she can further develop her knowledge and skills in racing. I am convinced that we can provide her lots of in-depth motorsport know-how for her future career in racing.”
Calderón’s position will feature mainly simulator work fitted around her GP3 race schedule. However, she will also receive on-site professional training and coaching during some of the Grand Prix race weekends this season.
The 23 year old Columbia racing driver began her career at the age of nine in kart racing. She made her way into open-wheel racing with the Star Mazda Championship in 2010 and 2011, eventually making the transition to various Formula 3 disciplines. Her greatest accomplishment is finishing second in the 2015-16 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 series. Last year she joined the GP3 Series, again driving in it this year.
Tatiana Calderón is looking forward to working with the team and is thankful to all of the people that helped to get her into this position:
“I am extremely happy to join the Sauber F1 Team as a development driver. I want to thank Monisha Kaltenborn and the whole team for giving me this opportunity, and also Escuderia Telmex for their support. I am grateful to be working with such an established Formula 1 team and to benefit from its long experience. I look forward to working with the team and learning as much as I can. It is a step closer to my dream – one day competing in Formula 1!”
It is likely that she will be in the car for the mid-season testing to fulfill the FIA’s requirement of two days of testing with young drivers. This requirement is to promote the young talent of upcoming drivers.
