Sauber F1 team, full of girl power!

Formula One hasn't had a female driver on the starting grid in over 40 years, but Tatiana Calderon is hoping to end that long wait.

The Colombian has joined Sauber as a development driver for 2017, and the team aims to provide her with the tools to fulfill her potential.

"I look forward to working with the team and learning as much as I can," the 23-year-old said in a statement on Sauber's website Tuesday. "It is a step closer to my dream -- one day competing in Formula 1!"

Having discovered a love of racing on the karting circuit in her native Bogotá, Calderón hopes to become the first woman to start an F1 race since 1976.

Susie Wolff has been the closest in recent years, taking part in several pre-race practice sessions for Williams, but quit at the end of 2015 when it became apparent she would not be considered for a championship drive.

Carmen Jorda has been a development driver at Lotus and Renault since 2015, while Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland had a brief spell with Sauber before becoming the first female to score points in a Formula E race, and now races in the Australian Supercars Championship.

Jorda's fellow Spaniard Maria de Villota had an ill-fated time with the Marussia team, losing the sight in her right eye after crashing during her first test drive in 2012. She was found dead in a hotel the following year, aged 33.

Italy's Lella Lombardi remains the only female world championship point-scorer, courtesy of her sixth-place finish at the 1975 Spanish GP.