List of female Formula One drivers explained

This is a list of female motor racing drivers who have taken part in the Formula One World Championship since the inception of the World Championship for Drivers in 1950. Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first woman to enter a Formula One race., four other female drivers have entered at least one Grand Prix, although only two have qualified and started a race. Lella Lombardi has competed in the most Grands Prix of any female driver, with 17 entries and 12 starts. Desiré Wilson is the only woman to win a Formula One race of any kind, finishing first at the 1980 British Aurora F1 Championship.

History

The involvement of women in Formula One was pioneered by Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis, who entered five races between the and seasons in a Maserati 250F, starting three.[1] She was the first woman to qualify for a Grand Prix, and scored her best result of tenth place in the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix.[2] [3] [4] [5] She did not take part in the following race in France—the race director denied her involvement, stating that "the only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser’s."[6] Maria ended her career at the Monaco Grand Prix the following year.[7]

After fifteen years, another Italian driver, Lella Lombardi, competed in three seasons between and . Lombardi entered seventeen races and started twelve, achieving her best career finish of sixth at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. The race was stopped following a spectator accident, but because at least 29 of the scheduled 71 laps had been completed, the rules stipulated that, for the first time, half points were to be awarded.[8] Lombardi's sixth-place finish meant she became the first, and so far only, woman to score points in the World Championship.[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

In, British professional skier Divina Galica attempted to qualify for three Grand Prix, including the British Grand Prix. This was notably the only Formula One Grand Prix in which multiple female drivers (Lombardi and Galica) entered. However, both failed to qualify.[15] [16]

In, the South African Desiré Wilson tried to qualify for the British Grand Prix, but did not succeed. In the same year, she won at Brands Hatch in the British Aurora F1 championship, becoming the first woman to win a Formula 1 race., she is only female driver to win a Formula One race of any kind. As a result of this achievement, Wilson has a grandstand at Brands Hatch named after her.[17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

, the last woman to have driven in a Formula One Grand Prix event was Italian former Formula 3000 driver Giovanna Amati, who was signed to Brabham at the beginning of the season. She failed to qualify for three races in which she was entered. She was replaced by Damon Hill, who also failed to qualify the same car in 6 out of the 8 following races he entered. Brabham's lead driver that season was Eric van de Poele, who only managed to qualify once. After 11 races, the team folded.[22] [23]

Drivers

Official drivers

Drivers listed in this table are those who have entered a Grand Prix. Actual starts are stated in brackets.

NameSeasonsTeamsEntries
(starts)		Points
1Filippis Maria Teresa de Filippis–Maserati, Behra-Porsche05 (3)40
2Lombardi Lella Lombardi–March, RAM, Williams17 (12)50.5
3Galica Divina Galica, Surtees, Hesketh03 (0)2–
4Wilson Desiré WilsonWilliams01 (0)3–
5Amati Giovanna AmatiBrabham03 (0)1–

Test drivers and development drivers

Some female drivers have participated in non-competition testing and evaluation sessions with Formula One teams. IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher performed a demonstration run with McLaren after first practice for the 2002 United States Grand Prix.[24] Katherine Legge tested with Minardi at the Vallelunga Circuit in 2005.[25]

Other female drivers have been contracted to Formula One teams in testing and development capacities. In 2012, Williams signed Susie Wolff as a development and test driver. Two years later, Wolff became the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years, when she participated in the first practice session at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone;[26] the previous time being in 1992, when Giovanna Amati who was the official Brabham team driver alongside Eric van der Poele, made three unsuccessful Grand Prix qualification attempts. Van der Poele and later Damon Hill, Amatis replacement only managed to qualify the uncompetitive Brabham 3 times out of 18 attempts and the team folded after 11 races.[27] [28] María de Villota, the daughter of Spanish Formula One driver Emilio de Villota, was hired as a test driver for Marussia[29] until her crash in 2012 at the Duxford Aerodrome during a straightline test. De Villota died from her injuries the following year.[30] In 2014, Sauber signed IndyCar Series driver Simona de Silvestro as an "affiliated driver", with the goal of having her compete in 2015.[31] In 2015 Lotus F1 signed Carmen Jordá to a deal including a run in a car.[32]

Sauber signed Colombian driver Tatiana Calderón as development driver for 2017.[33] Calderón was promoted from her development driver role to test driver for the 2018 season, and tested an F1 car for the first time with Sauber in Mexico in October 2018.[34] [35]

In 2019, Williams Driver Academy signed leading W Series contender Jamie Chadwick as a development driver for the Williams F1 team.[36] Chadwick later won the 2019 W Series championship, the 2021 W Series championship and the 2022 W Series championship, and continued as a Williams development driver in 2022.[37]

In September 2023, Aston Martin driver ambassador Jessica Hawkins tested a 2021-spec F1 car at the Hungaroring.[38]

Milestones

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Slotnik . Daniel . 2016-01-16 . Maria Teresa de Filippis, Pioneer of Auto Racing, Dies at 89 . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240310010603/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/sports/autoracing/maria-teresa-de-filippis-pioneer-of-auto-racing-dies-at-89.html . 2024-03-10 . 2024-10-06 . . slotnik2016.
  2. Web site: 1958 FRENCH GRAND PRIX - RACE RESULT . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241006134739/https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1958/races/163/france/race-result . 2024-10-06 . 2024-10-06 . . . en.
  3. Web site: 12 October 2010 . F1: Primeira mulher a pilotar um Formula 1 é "estrela" em Portimão . F1: First woman to pilot a Formula 1 car is "star" in Portimão . dead . https://archive.today/20130504031152/http://www.autoportal.iol.pt/desporto/velocidade-desporto/f1-primeira-mulher-a-pilotar-um-formula-1-e-estrela-em-portimao . 4 May 2013 . 27 July 2015 . Autoportal . pt.
  4. Web site: 4 July 2014 . Escocesa é a primeira mulher a participar de treino oficial da F1 em 22 anos . Scot is the first woman to take part in official F1 training in 22 years . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160127181520/http://m.jc.ne10.uol.com.br/canal/esportes/outros-esportes/noticia/2014/07/04/escocesa-e-a-primeira-mulher-a-participar-de-treino-oficial-da-f1-em-22-anos-134345.php . 27 January 2016 . 27 July 2015 . JC . . pt.
  5. Web site: Maria Teresa de Filippis • Career & Character Info . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240518105634/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/maria-teresa-de-filippis/ . 2024-05-18 . 2024-10-06 . . en-GB.
  6. Web site: Eve . James . 5 March 2006 . Maria Teresa De Filippis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240806082151/https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,,1720870,00.html . 2024-08-06 . 27 July 2015 . . . At first they thought I wouldn't be able to compete, but then I went all the way to Formula One. The only time I was prevented from racing was at the French Grand Prix. The race director said: 'The only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser's.' Apart from that I don't think I encountered any prejudice - only surprise at my success..
  7. News: Williams . Richard . 2016-01-11 . Maria Teresa de Filippis . 2024-10-06 . . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  8. Web site: 2020-04-27 . Aziz . Ishani . Paradise lost: Montjuïc and the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix . 2024-09-16 . . en-GB . McLaren’s Jochen Mass, who just happened to be leading the few remaining runners at the stoppage, got his only grand prix victory, while Lella Lombardi became still the only female F1 points scorer (or, rather, half-a-point scorer due to the shortened race)..
  9. Web site: 27 Apr 1975 . 1975 SPANISH GRAND PRIX - RACE RESULT . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240827201740/https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1975/races/347/spain/race-result . 2024-08-27 . 2024-09-16 . . . en.
  10. Web site: Baldwain . Alan . 5 May 2015 . Lombardi feat was mere footnote to tragic 1975 race . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240329161937/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-motor-racing-women-spain-idUSKBN0NR00920150506 . 2024-03-29 . 27 July 2015 . . Finishing sixth, two laps behind McLaren winner Jochen Mass in a race stopped at one third distance with only half points awarded, was Italian Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi in her March car..
  11. Web site: 23 August 2011 . Espanhola é esperança de presença feminina na F1 após 20 anos . Spanish is hope of female presence in F1 after 20 years . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160127160759/http://esporte.ig.com.br/automobilismo/f1/espanhola+e+esperanca+de+presenca+feminina+na+f1+apos+20+anos/n1597173304855.html . 27 January 2016 . 27 July 2015 . Esporte - Automobilismo . . pt.
  12. Web site: Micheletti . Marcos Junior . Lella Lombardi . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326193040/https://terceirotempo.uol.com.br/que-fim-levou/lella-lombardi-4137 . 2023-03-26 . 27 July 2015 . Terceiro Tempo . Universo Online.
  13. Web site: Jacques . Fábio . 11 May 2012 . Coluna La Rascasse: As mulheres e a Fórmula 1 . dead . https://archive.today/20130502082420/http://www.f1mania.net/noticias/vernoticia.php?id=55265 . 2 May 2013 . 27 July 2015 . F1Mania . pt.
  14. Web site: 2021-08-29 . Formula One's other half-point races . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211024135146/https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/32108764/formula-one-other-half-point-races . 2021-10-24 . 2024-10-06 . . en . Reuters.
  15. Web site: Women in Formula One . 27 July 2015 . formula1-dictionary.net.
  16. Web site: Baldwin . Alan . 7 May 2015 . Women in F1: still a distant dream? - IOL Motoring F1 Grand Prix . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181105075628/https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/f1-grand-prix/women-in-f1-still-a-distant-dream-1855134 . 2018-11-05 . 27 July 2015 . IOL.
  17. Web site: 2019-10-04 . Desiré Wilson: Formula 1's trailblazing driver . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211208003314/https://www.silverstonemuseum.co.uk/learn/collections/articles/desire-wilson-formula-1-s-trailblazing-driver/ . 2021-12-08 . 2024-10-06 . Silverstone Interactive Museum . en-GB.
  18. Web site: Desire Wilson • Career & Character Info . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240720172122/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/desire-wilson/ . 2024-07-20 . 2024-10-06 . . en-GB.
  19. Web site: Feltham . Luke . 2020-02-20 . Desiré Wilson: Fast but forgotten . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240528102154/https://mg.co.za/article/2020-02-21-desire-wilson-fast-but-forgotten/ . 2024-05-28 . 2024-10-06 . . M&G Media Ltd . en-ZA.
  20. Web site: Diepraam . Mattijs . October 1998 . F1's only female winner . 21 January 2012 . FORIX 8W . Autosport.com.
  21. Web site: Desire Wilson: The story of F1's only race-winning woman - F1 Fanatic . 26 February 2014 . 27 July 2015 . F1 Fanatic.
  22. Web site: Lembra se de...Giovanna Amati? . 8 September 2008 . 27 July 2015 . Autosport.pt .
  23. Web site: Giovanna Amati - F1 Driver Profile . 27 July 2015 . ESPN UK.
  24. News: Sarah Fisher to drive McLaren . . . 19 September 2002 . 16 March 2014 .
  25. Web site: Katherine Legge makes Minardi debut . F1.com . 23 November 2005 . 16 March 2014 .
  26. News: British Grand Prix 2014: Susie Wolff the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years. Independent. 4 July 2014.
  27. News: Susie Wolff joins Williams as development driver. Pablo. Elizalde. Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 11 April 2012. 13 April 2012.
  28. News: Wolff, Juncadella join Williams for young driver test at Silverstone. Jonathan. Noble. Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 15 July 2013. 4 August 2013.
  29. News: Maria de Villota joins Marussia F1 team as test driver for the 2012 season . Autosport . 7 March 2012 . 13 April 2012.
  30. News: Associated Press. Former Formula One test driver Maria de Villota dies. USA Today. 11 October 2013. 12 October 2013.
  31. News: Press Association . Press Association . 14 February 2014 . Sauber hire IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro to prepare her for F1 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240326172138/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/14/simona-de-silvestro-sauber-hire-f1 . 2024-03-26 . 15 February 2014 . The Guardian.
  32. News: F1: Lotus signs Jorda to development role. Autosport. Autosport. Racer. 26 February 2014. 26 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160127161523/http://www.racer.com/f1/item/113825-lotus-signs-jorda-to-development-role. 27 January 2016. dead.
  33. Web site: Benson . Andrew . Tatiana Calderon: Sauber sign Colombian as development driver for 2017 . . February 28, 2017. March 2, 2017.
  34. Web site: Tatiana Calderon gets expanded Sauber Formula 1 team role . Klein . Jamie . 6 March 2018 . 6 March 2018 . Autosport.com . Autosport Media UK .
  35. Web site: Tatiana Calderon hails 'incredible experience' after maiden F1 test . Smith . Luke . 31 October 2018 . 6 November 2018 . Crash.net .
  36. Web site: Jamie Chadwick joins Williams Racing Driver Academy. www.williamsf1.com. en. 24 September 2019. 24 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190924162618/https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2019/05/jamie-chadwick-joins-williams-racing-driver-academy. dead.
  37. Web site: Rokit Williams Racing: Jamie Chadwick . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200127065826/https://www.williamsf1.com/about/our-people/drivers/jamie-chadwick . 27 January 2020 . 27 January 2020 . Williams F1.
  38. Web site: 2023-09-26 . Jessica Hawkins completes debut F1 test with AMF1 Team . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241001113902/https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/news/announcement/jessica-hawkins-completes-debut-f1-test-with-amf1-team . 2024-10-01 . 30 September 2023 . . en-GB.
  39. Web site: Eve . James . 2006-03-05 . Maria Teresa De Filippis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240806082151/https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,,1720870,00.html . 2024-08-06 . 27 January 2020 . . Guardian Media Group.
  40. Web site: GPGuide – Driver Profile: Maria Teresa de Filippis. 2013-08-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160126193622/http://www.gpguide.com/Driver.aspx?driverId=276. 2016-01-26. dead.
  41. Book: Bouzanquet, Jean François . Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970 . Veloce Publishing Ltd . 2009 . 9781845842253 . Dorchester . 2020415446 . 27 January 2020 . registration . Internet Archive.
  42. Web site: 1976 British Grand Prix - Race Result . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130354/https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1976/races/366/great-britain/race-result . 2024-10-06 . 27 January 2020 . . Formula One Group.

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