Former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 development driver says Super Licence points system needs to be addressed to give women a chance at F1.
- Tatiana Calderon, current IndyCar driver for A.J. Foyt Racing, is a former develop driver in Formula 1.
- “There are a few things that need to change for us to come into Formula 1,” says Calderon.
- The last woman to compete in an F1 race was Italian driver Lella Lombardi in 1976.
As the first female driver since Simona De Silvestro in 2013 to be a regular on the IndyCar circuit (she’ll compete in 12 of this season’s 17 races, all road or street course events), Tatiana Calderon has high aspirations for success and to be an example to other female race car drivers.
At the same time, though, the Bogota, Colombia native—now a resident of Madrid, Spain—is also keeping an eye on Formula 1, both for herself and other female drivers, wondering if the series will eventually open its ranks to full-time female drivers on the circuit.
“In terms of performance, and what a woman can do behind the wheel, I’m absolutely sure that we can hopefully in the next couple of years have the chance to prove that we can compete in the highest level in Formula 1,” Calderon told Autoweek. “There are a few things that need to change for us to come into Formula 1. If they make those changes, it could be in the next couple of years, then we’ll see a woman racing there.”
The last woman to compete in an F1 race was Italian driver Lella Lombardi in 1976. Susie Wolff took part in a practice session for the 2015 British Grand Prix, but never competed in the main event, prompting her to retire and move into team management instead.
Currently, one of the top female test and development drivers is Jamie Chadwick, with Williams Racing. After winning two championships in the W Series, Chadwick recently signed to drive for Caitlyn Jenner’s new W Series team, which competes on many of the same race weekends as F1 events.
Tatiana Calderon finished 24th in her IndyCar debut at St. Petersburg for A.J. Foyt Racing.
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Calderon is good friends with Chadwick and understands the trail she may be blazing in F1 for other female drivers, including Calderon herself. W Series, as of 2020 is now part of the FIA Super License system, and a W Series championship is worth 15 Super Licence points. A total of 40 are needed to be eligble to race in Formula 1.
“I’m really happy to see Jamie in Williams,” Calderon said. “I have followed her career and we get along really well, and I know her quite well. I’m a bit disappointed that she didn’t get to move up. When you win a series twice (the W Series in 2019 and 2021), you should be able to guarantee that a female driver who’s winning will get a place in a different type, higher up the ranks. I think that’s kind of the point.
“There are a lot of things that still need to change for us to get the good seats and get a sponsorship and to get where we think we can be. So, I’ll be watching her with interest because I think she’s a very talented driver.”
Calderon knows firsthand much of what Chadwick is going through. In addition to racing in other series around the world for more than a decade, Calderon, who turned 29 earlier this month, spent 2016 through 2020 as a test and development driver in F1 for Sauber Racing and Alfa Romeo.
Two-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick is racing for team principal Caitlyn Jenner this season.
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She left the latter prior to the 2021 season, and went on to driving stints in Super Formula Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“I’d be lying if I said that’s not my goal and my dream,” Calderon said of hopefully returning to F1 one day. “But I’m very focused on the opportunities that I have in IndyCar and I’m enjoying every day.
“Of course, I dream of Formula 1. But I think this can be the way for me to go. So hopefully I can do a good job in IndyCar and maybe some people will notice. There’s a lot of eyes on IndyCar on like Colton (Herta) and Pato (O’Ward), they’ve been testing (F1 cars), and there’s a lot of ex-Formula 1 drivers that have come here to IndyCar. This level is super high, and there’s no better place to be than here.
“It was an amazing time for me to drive (as a F1 test/development driver) and know that I could potentially be competitive when I’m given those chances. That has really prepared me well for where I am at the moment. But I also think that women in general can do a really good job in Formula 1, regardless of the speed of the cars and everything that is required.”
But even male IndyCar drivers like Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward, who’ve both tested for and aspire to move to F1, will have difficulty making it to that level, Calderon said.
“When you look at Colton and Pato, they (don’t have enough) Super License points to compete in Formula 1,” she said. “For me, that rule needs to change for license points in order for things to change and make it even more possible for (female drivers). You have to be with the teams in the top championships to be able to win those Super License points.”
While she searched for another test/development deal in F1 last year, it was a test last summer for A.J. Foyt Racing at Mid-Ohio Raceway, where she impressively ran 87 laps around the 2.4-mile road course near-flawlessly. That not only changed Calderon’s racing life, it also changed her perspective somewhat on her racing goals.
“Honestly, IndyCar has always been in my (plan),” she said. “After Formula 1, IndyCar is the most popular single-seater series in the world. So, for me, it was like a no brainer when I got the call or the offer to move to IndyCar. I think this is one of the toughest series in the world. And I love to compete against the best. So I’m really happy I get this opportunity.”
Calderon raced at Le Mans in 2021 with the Richard Mille Race Team.
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If she can’t get to F1 as its first full-time female driver—at least not yet, that is—Calderon wants to make her mark in IndyCar, driving the No. 11 Dallara-Chevrolet this season in her 12 scheduled starts. She’ll bypass all five oval track events (that means she’ll miss the Indianapolis 500 and be replaced by veteran driver J.R. Hildebrand).
Ironically, Calderon and fellow rookie teammate Kyle Kirkwood both joined AJFR without ever meeting or even talking on the phone with the team’s founder and namesake, legendary A.J. Foyt.
Calderon, who has been racing for nearly 20 years, starting in go-karts at age nine, finally met Foyt during a test at Sebring, Florida, last month prior to the 2022 IndyCar season-opening race at nearby St. Petersburg. Not only was she immediately impressed by the legendary Foyt, one thing in particular stood out: what Foyt was wearing on his ring finger.
“He was wearing this ring with all four of his wins in the Indy 500,” Calderon said. “We were just joking and he said he just got lucky four times. I was like staring at it and said I hope to get lucky even just once.”
Calderon’s racing resume is impressive. Among the highlights are she was the first woman to stand on a podium in the British Formula 3 International Series, as well as the first female to lead a lap in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.
She cites several legendary drivers as her inspiration, including fellow Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya and the late Ayrton Senna, a three-time F1 champion. She has patterned her style in similar ways to their aggressive style, but for a different reason. While Montoya and Senna were naturally aggressive on the racetrack, Calderon had to resort to aggressiveness and retaliation when she was a constant target of being intimidated and even rammed by several of her fellow racers—all male, that is.
This is Calderon’s second go-round with IndyCar, so to speak. She had an opportunity to race in IndyLights in the 2012 season, but her father talked her out of it because of his dislike of oval tracks.
So it was back to global racing, including at one point being advised by Anthony Hamilton, father of F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, leading to several distinctions including being the first woman on the podium in the Star Mazda Championship Series.
As a test and development driver for both Sauber and Alfa Romeo, Calderon did extensive work, much of it on a race simulator or at-track with team engineers to acquire data for her F1 teammates. While she was somewhat at arms-length when it came to getting a chance to actually compete in a F1 race, Calderon still felt she was an integral part of her teams.
When Sauber morphed to Alfa Romeo Racing, Calderon remained as a test and development driver. In addition, she became the first woman to drive in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2019, and also the first woman to lead a lap in the series.
“I think any driver would love to do the Indy 500 at least once in their life.”
While she said she’s dreamt of being an F1 driver ever since she started racing go-karts at the age of 9, IndyCar is Calderon’s future for now.
“Honestly, we’re just looking one at a time and we have never tested an Indy car on an oval,” she said. “So for sure, I would like to maybe have a go at some point this year to see how I feel, how confident I am in the ovals and really get more comfortable with the car itself in the road and street courses.
“But for sure, I think any driver would love to do the Indy 500 at least once in their life, and I would love to do that as well in the future. But it’s still too early to see where we’re going. We’re just taking one step at a time at the moment.”
Keyword: IndyCar Racer Tatiana Calderon Says F1 Rules Stacked Against Women