Maria Teresa de Filippis

Maria Teresa de Filippis etched her name in F1 history as the first woman to compete in a Formula 1 race, making her F1 debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix failing to qualify and making her Grand Prix race debut at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix. The Italian driver took part in five F1 race weekends, securing three race starts in an era when motorsport was overwhelmingly male-dominated. Though her time in F1 was short-lived, her drives paved the way for future female drivers in the sport.

Nationality	Italian
Born	Maria Teresa de Filippis 11 November 1926 Naples, Campania, Italy
Died	8 January 2016 (aged 89) Scanzorosciate, Lombardy, Italy

De Filippis discovered her passion for motorsport in the late 1940s, despite scepticism from her family—her own brothers even placed bets that she wouldn’t be fast enough to succeed. At just 22 years old, she proved them wrong, winning her first race on a 10km stretch between Salerno and Cava de’ Tirreni. By 1954, she had climbed the ranks, finishing second in the Italian Sports Car Championship. This success caught the attention of Maserati, who signed her as a works driver, allowing her to compete in endurance racing before making the leap to Formula 1.

Her F1 debut, however, was not straightforward. In 1958, she attempted to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix but missed out by 5.8 seconds in a crowded field of 31 entrants. Later that year, she secured her first official Grand Prix start in Belgium, qualifying 19th and finishing 10th—though she was lapped twice, she completed the race, something nine other drivers failed to do. Her time in the sport was met with resistance; she was infamously barred from racing in the French Grand Prix, with the race director reportedly telling her, “The only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser’s.” Despite competing in a handful of other races, engine failures and discrimination tainted the remainder of her F1 career.

Following the tragic death of fellow driver Jean Behra in 1959, De Filippis retired from racing, stating she had lost too many friends in the sport. It wasn’t until 1979 that she returned to the motorsport world, joining the International Club of Former F1 Grand Prix Drivers, eventually becoming Vice-President in 1997. Her legacy as a trailblazer endured long after she left the cockpit, inspiring future generations of women in motorsport. Maria Teresa de Filippis passed away in 2016 at the age of 89, but her impact on Formula 1 remains unforgettable.

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