Minardi to Test Katherine Legge

Legge will be the first woman to try out a Formula One car since American Sarah Fisher drove a handful of demonstration laps with McLaren at Indianapolis in 2002.

The 25-year-old has raced single-seaters since 2000, following a successful eight-year stint in karts. 

She has competed in the United States for the last two seasons, winning three races in the 2005 Toyota Atlantic Championship on her way to third place in the final series standings.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to drive the Minardi.  It has been a dream and an ambition of mine to drive a Formula One car since I was a little girl," said Legge.

"I am extremely grateful to Paul Stoddart and Kevin Kalkhoven for giving me this opportunity, and I am now focused on trying to impress and do a professional job in the test."

Stoddart added: "We have been watching Katherine's progress for some while now, and with her outstanding performances in the Toyota Atlantic Championship this season, we felt she was clearly deserving of a chance to experience a Formula One car. 

"We have always said that if a sufficiently talented woman racing driver arrived on the scene, who appeared capable of handling the performance of an F1 car, we would have no hesitation in giving her an opportunity to show what she could do.  I believe Katherine has done more than enough to warrant that chance."

The last woman to drive a Formula One car on a Grand Prix weekend was Italian Giovanna Amati in 1992.