Desiré Randall Wilson, born in Brakpan, South Africa, is one of only five women to compete in Formula One. In 1980, she entered her first F1 World Championship Grand Prix, the 1980 British Grand Prix, with a non-works Williams FW07 prepared by Brands Hatch Racing but did not qualify.
| Nationality | South African |
|---|---|
| Born | Desiré Randall Wilson 26 November 1953 Brakpan, South Africa |
Wilson also participated in the 1981 non-world championship South African Grand Prix in a one-off deal with Tyrrell Racing. This race was excluded from the 1981 world championship due to the FISA–FOCA war. Wilson qualified 16th and, despite a stalled start, moved up the field in wet conditions before eventually falling back and damaging her car while letting the race leader through.
Wilson became the only woman to win a Formula One race of any kind when she triumphed at Brands Hatch in the short-lived British Aurora F1 Championship in 1980. This achievement led to a grandstand at Brands Hatch being named in her honour. Following her Formula One efforts, Wilson competed in other disciplines, including CART and sports car racing. In 1982, she attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but did not succeed, and she also failed to qualify for the 1983 and 1984 Indy 500s.
Desire Wilson Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Teams | non-works Williams |
| Entries | 1 (0 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1980 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1980 British Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Brands Hatch Racing | Williams FW07 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | BEL | MON | FRA | GBR DNQ | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | USA | NC | 0 |
Complete Formula One Non-Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Melchester Racing | Tyrrell 008 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC 9 | GNM | DIN |
| 1981 | Tyrrell Racing Team | Tyrrell 010 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA Ret |
Sources: Wikipedia.com, and historicracing.com
