Tatiana Calderón hopes for stability in 2023

“It was like five years condensed into one!” » that's how Tatiana Calderón summarizes her eventful 2023 season where she played two halves of the championships. In IndyCar firstly where the Colombian was at the wheel of the #11 Dallara-Chevrolet of AJ Foyt Racing before it was stored in the garage due to late payments from sponsor ROKiT. The native of Bogota, only announced in January in the Texan team, had barely had time to make her mark in the championship when the adventure already ended with an abandonment at Mid-Ohio on July 3, the same where she had completed his first IndyCar test a little over a year earlier. 

“The only circuit I knew was Ohio, which was also my last race, Tatiana tells AUTOhebdo. We were going to finish in the top 13 (which would have been synonymous with the best result of the season. Editor’s note), but the car broke down. The financial situation was then very complicated. It's a shame because we were only able to do seven races. » The ax finally fell with her best finish being 15th place at the Indy GP, where she led one lap. 

“IndyCar was a fantastic opportunity and I really enjoyed my time there, explains the 29-year-old pilot. Obviously, it was a big step to take in terms of physical work, new tracks to discover, tires… Everything is very different in the United States. » The program initially planned for two years was prematurely stopped after six months, it is in Formula 2 that Calderón found refuge thanks to the financial support of her compatriot, the singer Karol G. At the end of August, to everyone's surprise, it was with Charouz that the driver returned to a starting grid, at Spa-Francorchamps, in a discipline which she left in 2019 after just one season.

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“I am really grateful to Karol G who gave me her support. However, I didn't have time to prepare, because it was something that happened in a surreal way. When we decided to come back to F2, I took a flight the same week as the Spa round and went straight there to make my seat. I didn't have time to do a simulator and it's been a while since I drove these cars. So we had to adapt quickly and a month later I injured my hand at Monza. » 

At the Temple of Speed, Tatiana Calderón clashed with Olli Caldwell (Campos Racing) at the start of the sprint race in Italy. Broken right hand for the South American driver and withdrawal from the main race on Sunday before the two-month break preceding the final round in Abu Dhabi. “I haven't even done half the races and I needed it to get into the rhythm, to understand the tires which have changed a lot since the last time I was in F2, especially in terms of degradation and the feeling of the car with these 18 inches. It was interesting to see how quickly I could adapt without any testing. We learn a lot from this type of experience. It was a difficult season in a way, but I did the best I could with what I had. So I have no regrets. »

Towards a return to Endurance?

Despite his love of car, the future of Tatiana Calderón now seems to lie far from it. See the Colombian again in IndyCar or Formula 2 next season “is very unlikely” according to his own words. “Sponsorship is one of the most important things in motorsport and we do not currently have the resources necessary to knock on the doors of teams in IndyCar or Formula 2.” The best fallback solution therefore seems to beEndurance, a discipline that the driver already knows after two seasons spent with the Richard Mille Racing Team, a team whose closure was announced recently. “It was a surprise for me, she admits. I wasn't expecting it because I was reading articles mid-season that said they were trying to go back to an all-female crew for next year. It shows how difficult things are right now for female drivers, and indeed all drivers, to put it all together. It's a shame to see this program end. It was a really powerful message to have an LM P2 with female drivers. I am grateful to have been part of a project with them, to have participated twice in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and to have been able to show what we can do. »

Almost 30 years old, Tatiana Calderón finally hopes to find some stability in her career. “I made the most of the opportunities I was given, but I would have liked to have had more planning or consistency in terms of squads to have a real chance to show my potential. I would like to have a little stability for next year, if possible in a competitive team to be able to perform. I hope I can find this. » This could therefore result in a return to Endurance. In any case, it’s a path she would like to explore. “With all the manufacturers coming into LMH and LMDh, I would love to be part of a project like this. Le Mans and Daytona are truly special races. So I hope to be able to drive in Endurance again in the near future. » Like many other drivers...

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