Fifteen years after Maria Teresa de Filippis paved the way, Lella Lombardi became the second woman to compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix—and to this day, she remains the only female driver to score points in an F1 race. At the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi finished sixth, earning half a championship point after the race was cut short due to a fatal crash. Her achievement marked a historic milestone in the sport, proving that women could compete at the highest level of motorsport.
| Nationality | Italian |
|---|---|
| Born | Maria Grazia “Lella” Lombardi 26 March 1941 Frugarolo, Piedmont, Italy |
| Died | 3 March 1992 (aged 50) Milan, Italy |
Born in Italy, Lombardi’s passion for racing began behind the wheel of her family’s delivery van before she progressed through the ranks of karting, Formula Monza, Formula 3, and Formula 5000. In 1975, she signed with March Engineering, racing alongside Vittorio Brambilla and Hans-Joachim Stuck. That same year, she became the second woman ever to qualify for an F1 Grand Prix at the 1975 South African Grand Prix. Her standout moment came in Spain, where a tragic accident led to an early stoppage of the race—due to the shortened distance, all points were halved, leaving Lombardi with 0.5 points, a record that still stands for a female driver.
Beyond Formula 1, Lombardi had an impressive motorsport career. She finished seventh at the German Grand Prix, was offered a one-off Williams drive at the U.S. Grand Prix (but was unable to start), and continued competing in sports car racing, winning events like the 6 Hours of Pergusa and the 6 Hours of Vallelunga. She also competed in four 24 Hours of Le Mans races and even spent a season in NASCAR, racing alongside Janet Guthrie and Christine Beckers. After retiring in 1988, she founded her own racing team, Lombardi Autosport, before passing away from breast cancer in 1992 at the age of 50. Lombardi was also known for her personal life, living openly as a lesbian when such openness was rare in motorsport.
Formula One History Recommends
Lella Lombardi Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1974–1976 |
|---|---|
| Teams | March, RAM, Frank William Racing Cars |
| Entries | 17 (12 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0.5 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1974 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1976 Austrian Grand Prix |
Lella Lombardi Teammates
| 5 Drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hans Joachim Stuck | 4 | 1975 | |
| Jacques Laffite | 1 | 1975 | |
| Bob Evans | 1 | 1976 | |
| Rolf Stommelen | 1 | 1976 | |
| Loris Kessel | 2 | 1976 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Allied Polymer Group | Brabham BT42 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR DNQ | GER | AUT | CAN | ITA | USA | NC | 0 | |
| 1975 | March Engineering | March 741 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA Ret | 21st | 0.5 | |||||||||||||
| Lavazza March | March 751 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP 6 | MON DNQ | BEL Ret | SWE Ret | NED 14 | FRA 18 | GBR Ret | GER 7 | AUT 17 | ITA Ret | |||||||||
| Frank Williams Racing Cars | Williams FW04 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | USA DNS | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Lavazza March | March 761 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA 14 | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | NC | 0 | ||||||||
| RAM Racing with Lavazza | Brabham BT44B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | GBR DNQ | GER DNQ | AUT 12 | NED | ITA | CAN | USA | JPN | NC |
Complete Formula One Non-Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | ShellSPORT Luxembourg | Lola T330 | Chevrolet 5.0 V8 | PRE | ROC NC | INT 13 |
| 1975 | Lavazza March | March 751 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC Ret | INT 12 | SUI |
