Simona De Silvestro has taken to the track in a Formula 1 car for the first time in her career.

The 25-year-old Swiss driver joined Sauber at the start of 2014 as an affiliated driver, having competed in IndyCar for four years with a best result of second place in Houston last season.

Sauber confirmed that De Silvestro completed 112 laps of the Fiorano circuit in Italy on Saturday without any issues. No times were released by the team.

De Silvestro is using Sauber’s 2012 car, the C31, and will complete her test on Sunday.

“Although it’s something very special to drive a Formula One car, I was not too nervous in the morning,” she said.

“I was more focused on what my job would be. But, after completing the installation lap, I realised that this was my first lap in a Formula One car, and that this was something really special. What impressed me most was the downforce of the car and the braking. When I did my first lap the brakes were cold, but even then the decelaration was beyond what I had experienced before. The g-forces are significantly higher compared to what I was used to in IndyCar.

“Overall, I’m happy with my first day in a Formula One car. I concentrated mainly on understanding the tyres and finding out how to get the best out of them. And with every outing I learned more about the behaviour of the car. I can feel now where there is more potential and how I can use it. Physically I feel quite good, which is definitely a result of my preparation in recent months. I have been training really hard and this paid off. The feeling you get driving a Formula One car is just awesome.”

De Silvestro will spend 2014 training with Sauber as she aims to join the Formula 1 grid in 2015.