Sauber has announced that Colombian driver Tatiana Calderon will be their development driver for 2017.

The 23-year-old driver began her career back in Colombia at the age of nine, and moved to Europe in 2012 to compete in several racing series.

In 2015, she finished 2nd in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000, moving onto the GP3 series in 2016.

Calderon will also continue to race in GP3 this year in addition to taking on her role with Sauber. She will also undergo the Young Driver Development Programme with Sauber.

“I am extremely happy to join the Sauber F1 Team as a development driver,” Calderon spoke.

“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!”

“We are very pleased to welcome Tatiana onboard to the Sauber family,” Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber Team Principal added.

“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.”

This is a big step in promoting women in motorsport, and hopefully a step towards seeing women race in Formula 1 in the future.