 Legge is the first female F1 tester since Giovanna Amati in 1992 |
Katherine Legge's second day of testing a Formula One car went better than her first, as she completed 27 laps of the Vallelunga track near Rome. The 25-year-old Englishwoman crashed after just two laps on her first day of testing a Minardi car on Tuesday.
Her best time on Wednesday was one minute 21.176 seconds, just behind fellow tester Juan Caceres of Uruguay.
Former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart said: "She's definitely got what it takes to be a Formula One driver."
Legge said: "I expected the unexpected and that's what I got.
"It was certainly a lot easier today than yesterday, mainly because I was left alone to focus on what I had to do.
"I did the best job I could and, bearing in mind my relative lack of experience, I'm very pleased with the result."
The test was a pre-existing arrangement between Stoddart and ChampCar boss and Cosworth co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven before the Australian sold Minardi to Red Bull.
Minardi will be renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso next year. Legge has been racing in single-seater cars since 2000 and won three races in this year's US Toyota Atlantic series.
She will now return to compete in the Toyota Atlantic series.