Tatiana Calderón talked about the difficulties in her first year in Indy and said she wants to be an example for young girls to enter the world of motorsports
Tatiana Calderón is making her first Indy season this season. After years of competing on the European circuit, the Colombian driver has chosen to change the route of her career and, in 2022, will share the #11 Foyt car with JR Hildebrand, who drives on ovals while Tatiana drives on mixed and street circuits. With little testing time, she reveals that adapting has been more difficult than expected.
"It has been very difficult for me the rookie year with so little testing. I think we have improved particularly on the mixed circuits, where I can explore the limit of the car a bit more. The street circuits are really difficult here compared to Europe or other places. The bumps you experience in Detroit, for example, I think is something quite unique to Indy, that you can have all these types of tracks," Calderón explained to the Motorsport website.
"I have enjoyed suffering a little bit as well. It's hard, but we like good competition. I hope that when we get to places I've been before, like Indianapolis, Mid-Ohio, where I tested for the first time last year in July, I hope our performance can continue to improve on those tracks I already know," said the Foyt driver.
Tatiana was so far the only woman to compete in the IndyCar Series, but this weekend at Road America, the Swiss Simona de Silvestro will take part in the first of three races with Paretta Autosports, an all-female team. The Colombian hopes that her figure, like Simona's, will help inspire more women to enter motorsports.
"I think sometimes you have to see it to believe it, for the younger generation to want to be in Indy, because there are women who can compete against men in a very competitive championship. I hope that together [with Simona De Silvestro, who makes her Indy return this weekend at Road America] we can keep that momentum going and see more women starting in single-seaters, because in the end that's what we need," Calderón said.
"One of the things I love about American motorsports is that the paddocks are more open to kids, to more people, so you get to interact with some of the girls. Just a handshake or a photo can change your view on the sport. That's something you feel with their parents as well. It's like, 'Look, it's a girl, you can do it too!
The GP of Elkhart Lake, at the Road America circuit, takes place this Sunday (12), with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.