Fisher relishes demonstration run.

Indy Racing League star Sarah Fisher turned in three tremendously popular demonstration laps around the 2.606-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix course on Friday aboard the spare McLaren-Mercedes MP4-17.

Fisher, who turns 22 next week, was given the opportunity due to her links with long-time McLaren sponsors TAG Heuer and her appearance highlighted an action-packed opening day of on-track action at 'The Brickyard'.

Although she was under strict instructions not to push herself to the limit and her laps were more akin to F1 installation laps than test laps, Fisher gave an excellent account of herself with the F1 fraternity and, of course, her fans.

"It was very exciting opportunity for me," said Fisher, whose best lap around the 13-turn course was almost 20-seconds slower than Michael Schumacher's leading time from F1 practice. "Because of my partnership with Tag Heuer and their partnership with Team McLaren, it gave me the opportunity to feel what an F1 car is like. Any race-car driver in America will tell you that the ultimate is to at least drive these cars for a couple laps and see what it's like."

One of the things that stuck out in Fisher's mind after her first taste of F1 machinery was the acceleration away from a standings start and then the affect of traction control (banned in the IRL) through the turns. "The first time was like, 'Whoa, OK. Thank God it's got traction control.' It was great. It was fun. I didn't get to light it up very much.

"Obviously, I only had three laps to do it, and by the third lap I'm thinking, 'OK, at Turn 4 I can go in a bit deeper there,' and they came on the radio and said, 'OK, park it down on the bricks, you're done.'"

The centre of much attention both on and off the track, Fisher also had the chance to chat with several current F1 personalities and her arrival in the paddock seemed to relax the often-strained nature around the pitlane. Indeed in a half-serious interview with Jaguar boss Niki Lauda for German TV channel RTL, the triple World Champion offered her a proper test in Europe. Fisher however played it down as a joke.

"Nobody has asked me," she said of any future F1 testing opportunities. "He [Niki] was the first to ask me. I don't know if he was serious."

Serious or not, after sampling F1 machinery Fisher is serious about driving in Formula One one day as long as the right opportunity came along. "Yes, if it was with the right team and the right people," she said. "I'm very big on people. I struggled for two years in the Indy Racing League with people issues. This final year, the past couple races I finally put together a team of people that were outstanding and fit my personality perfectly. My goal this winter was to keep that team together, and it looks like we accomplished that. It's not signed, but it's orally communicated as a promise.
"In F1, I'm sure it would only be twice as much, that same manner, to have the best people around you and the right people to fit your personality. So yes, if that was the case, I would."

Ron Dennis, who oversaw Fisher's run, was pleased to be able to provide Fisher with the opportunity. "It's just an opportunity for her to sample Formula One," he stated. "It was a request made by one of our sponsors and by Tag Heuer and I discussed it with Bernie. We felt it would be good for the American public, and it was just something that was possible. So we agreed to do it."

Of the current crop of F1 drivers, the only one to have raced with Fisher is Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2000 Indianapolis 500. The Colombian also welcomed Fisher's appearance and was conscience f the immense pressure she has been under since the test was announced.

"It had to be so hard for her," said the Williams driver. "To have never driven the car before, never been in an F1 car before, in front of her home crowd. It's a good thing. If I was in her shoes, I would love to do that."