Sarah Fisher to drive McLaren

The 21-year-old made history earlier this year by being the first female ever to take a pole position for an Indy Racing League event, when she set the pace in qualifying for the Belterra Casino 300 at the Kentucky Speedway.

As an Indianapolis native, she's naturally delighted to get the chance to drive the Mercedes-powered car in front of her home fans.

"I'm obviously very excited about driving a Formula 1 car," she said. "It's extremely rare to get a chance like this and I can't wait. I'm grateful to TAG Heuer, Bernie Ecclestone and West McLaren Mercedes for making this happen, and hopefully it will help to promote Formula 1 in the USA and will also bring international attention to my series, the Indy Racing League as well."

McLaren's managing director, Martin Whitmarsh said: "We are pleased to provide Sarah with this one-off opportunity. Through our 39-year history we have never had a female drive one of our Formula 1 cars so I guess it's about time. Hopefully Sarah's demonstration will assist in promoting Formula 1 in America further and give her a taste of the category."

The last women to drive a Formula 1 car was Giovanna Amati who unsuccessfully attempted to qualify a Brabham during the first half of the 1992 season. The most successful female driver in F1 was another Italian, Lella Lombardi, who finished sixth in the 1975 Spanish GP. The race was cut short due to an accident, so she only received half a point for her efforts.