I Don’t Care About Them Paying Me Millions – Tatiana Calderon

Colombian GP3 racer Tatiana Calderon has revealed that she desires to become a Formula One driver. If she does succeed, she will be the first woman to feature on a Grand Prix grid in over 40 years.

The last female driver to actively race in F1 was Italy’s Lella Lombardi back in 1976. She last raced at the Austrian GP and had her best finish of 6th in Spain. Since then, drivers like Susie Wolff and Maria de Villota have come close with their roles as test drivers. However, the search continues for the first female star this century.

Calderon believes that she has the chops to make it big in F1 and that is what drives her onward.

“I would say to myself all the time, especially in Colombia, are you sure you’re going to get into Formula 1?” she said.

“But you think to yourself, why not? That’s why I wake up every morning, because I want to be an F1 driver.

“It’s not good to say, but I don’t care about them paying me millions. I just want to drive those cars as fast as I can and really get the chance to prove myself. That’s why I’m racing GP3.

However, Calderon does not want any exceptions for her on the basis of gender. Instead, she wants to be assessed on her abilities. She continued, “F1 is another level, and they need to see the results at the end of the day. They know I’m capable.”

“I don’t want to let people give me an opportunity because I’m a woman. I don’t want to be taken like that,”.

“I want to be taken like who I am, as a driver. I think I have something to bring to the table, because I’m very sensitive. I think my feedback is quite good. I really want to earn my place.

The 25-year old is currently a test driver for Alfa Romeo Sauber F1.