She tried to blame her breast pain on a sailing injury, but her condition degenerated so rapidly that there was no way it could have been anything minor. She also competed four times at the 24 hours of Le Mans, where she finished 20th in 1976 in a Lancia Stratos Turbo. F1 Unlocked, F1 2023: Star drivers, standout teams and surprise stories Our writers give their predictions ahead of the new F1 season, What the teams said Friday practice in Bahrain, F2: Pourchaire takes impressive pole in Sakhir. Points Died Neither of her parents drove and Lella, as she became known, enjoyed her earliest experiences behind the wheel from driving the delivery truck for her father's salami factory. Retirements in Belgium and Sweden were followed by a 14th place in Holland, 18th in France and another retirement in Great Britain. With assistance from her partner Fiorenza, sister and brother-in-law, the Lella cover was soon blown by newsworthy results and, by 1967, she was contesting Italian Formula 3 in a Branca-Ford. Juan Manuel Fangio started in 1950 and had last race in 1958. READ MORE: 'Finding a new challenge is my motivation' Jamie Chadwick on whats next after clinching her second W Series title. Painful. Many of the members of the March team expressed their regret at having been so resistant to her ideas, knowing that she could have become an open wheel success if only shed had a reliable car. Half points awarded, Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance), Non-classified finish (<90% race distance). Lombardi made history for two reasons at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix - she was the first woman to score points in a Grand Prix, and the first driver to score a career total of 0.5 points, after the accident of Rolf Stommelen which stopped the Grand Prix before half-distance, remaining the only person to achieve either of these. We know who could win the F1 championship in 2023, but who will have the car to maximise their talent? Born in Frugarolo, Italy, on March 21 1941, she reached adolescence understanding that two aspects of her nature were at odds with public opinion of the day: she loved cars and she was gay. She wasnt far off team mate John Watsons times initially in a similar car, but failed to qualify by nine-tenths after a driveshaft failure. 18 (12 starts) Robin Herd freely admitted in an interview we did in 2009 that he and Max Mosley had had her over in 1975, and said that he was most impressed with her performance finishing seventh at the Nurburgring in a race of attrition as she was battling with a puncture. Please update your cookie preferences, WATCH: F1 for beginners Everything you need to know about F1 ahead of the new season, Live Blog Born near Turin, Italy, neither of Lombardis parents knew how to drive. She had an image to keep: Im tough so dont mess with me. But its boss Charles James wanted to be involved lock, stock and barrel. The thing I like is the feeling when you pass the checkered flag first. Her father found her passion for racing difficult to understand, but was secretly proud of her achievement when, in 1968, she finished runner-up to Franco Bernabei. Her best results 4ths at Brands, Monza, Oulton Park and Mallory Park. Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi(March 26, 1941 - March 3, 1992) was an Italian female racing driver the second woman to start a Formula One race, after Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958, and the last woman to do so to date. Lombardi thus joined the ShellSPORT Luxembourg squad for the 74 Rothmans F5000 Championship and her Lola T330 wore 208 as a nod to the famous radio stations frequency. She moved on to Formula Three in 1968. However, Lombardi had an eventful driving career, aside from Formula One. She quickly discovered a love for the cars but had to hide this from her parents at a time when female drivers were looked down upon. Lombardi died of breast cancer in Milan on March 3, 1992. F1 Unlocked, LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Feature She raced with the talented racer/journalist Marie-Claude Beaumont in 1975 in an Alpine A441 under the far-sighted Francois Guiters Ecurie Elf Ladies Team, and later won the 1979 Enna Six Hours with Enrico Grimaldi (becoming the first woman to win an FIA Championship event). Im not terribly conscious of there being a difference between male and female in this sort of thing. The subsequent 75 V6 model was less successful and so Lombardi, though she had managed an eighth place in the 1986 Spa 24 Hours co-driven by Drovandi and Roberto Castagna, switched to a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth for 1987. The joyless Spanish Grand Prix of April 1975 ended in tragedy when the rear wing of Rolf Stommelens leading Hill failed with catastrophic result: dead bodies pinned beneath its wreck. She qualified. Nine tenths shy of the grid, she had, in a better car admittedly, lapped as quickly as Tom Bels and faster than Vern Schuppan, John Nicholson, Howden Ganley, Wilds and Leo Kinnunen. Complete European F5000 Championship results, Complete Formula One World Championship results, Complete Shellsport International Series results, Complete British Formula One Championship results, Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results, "Information about Lella Lombardi from historicracing.com", "Trailblazing racer Lella Lombardi remembered, 30 years on from her death", "Pitstop pioneers: the queer drivers who changed motorsports", "Trailblazing racer Lella Lombardi remembered, 30 years on from her death | Formula 1", "Lombardi, Lella (1942) | Encyclopedia.com", "Pioniere. 0 [15] As an example of successful women produced by Formula One,[16] Lombardi is credited with making Formula One accessible to women. She and Fiorenza were a beautiful couple, reserved; the spotlight was never on them. Apart from the Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi would fail to score any more points despite an impressive result of 7th in Germany. But I dont think he ever did a flying lap in that car. 1974 British Grand Prix That she was a woman was an irrelevancy to Lella. She was a loner, really. Lombardi finished 31st. 26 March 1941. That led to a test in one of Jackie Epsteins ShellSPORT F5000 Lola T330s. Lombardi had had experience of sports-prototypes in the 1975 World Championship for Makes, finishing sixth at Mugello and a class-winning fourth at Monza in Equipe Elf Switzerlands 2-litre Alpine A441, co-driven by Marie-Claude Beaumont. Join Facebook to connect with Lella Lombardi and others you may know. Petersons return from Lotus after the Brazilian GP also signalled the end of Lombardis time with March. [2] Initially, Lombardi tried to qualify for Formula One with a privately entered Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club but failed to qualify. But even today we associate motorsports with something overly fraternal. Career She wasnt interested in fashion and usually wore trousers if she was in civvies. She was very good and very quick, but though we were very different characters, we spent an evening early on discussing all that sort of thing. PhotosCourtesy of and Copyright to Sutton Motorsport Images, Sign up for more restomod content to add horsepower to your inbox. She wasnt interested in fashion and usually wore trousers if she was in civvies. She was, like many female drivers, not particularly conscious of her genderit was all about the racing. So we were perfectly happy to have Lella. Lombardi grew up in Italy and developed an interest in racing by . She and Fiorenza were a beautiful couple, reserved; the spotlight was never on them. And she left as her legacy her own racing team, Lella Lombardi Autosport, the question of what might have been, and a shining example of how to live life on your own terms, with your whole being focused on your target and not what others think of you. The drivers' concerns were fueled by three recently killed, in otherwise survivable accidents, as a result of poorly installed barriers; certainly this sort of disorganization on the organizers behalf would have no place in modern Formula One. She finished 10th again in 1973, with a best of second place at Casale, in a Scuderia Italia Brabham BT41. During the 1980s Lombardi raced touring cars but her form struggled due to ill health - initially chest pains, although the reality would turn out to be much worse. The Grand Prix cars of the '70s were not very reliable, particularly the further down the grid you traveled. READ MORE: 10 F1 cars we wish were as quick as they looked, She crashed in Monaco and didnt qualify, finished seventh in Germany, 14th in Holland, 17th in Austria and 18th in France, and non-started a Williams FW04 in America. Though officials erected barricades and bosses manned the barriers because the drivers were rightly unamused by Montjuchs laughable Acme Inc Armco, the latter would eventually kowtow and race with a collective madness bar world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, who stayed true to his word and refused to start. She was charming but stubborn and independent, and a tremendously careful road driver. Maria Grazia Lombardi had spent 10 years climbing motor racings rungs, beginning with the Monza-based Formula 875. Fresh from bridging the Indy 500s gender gap, and contesting the Winston Cup on a shoestring, Guthrie was dismayed by the Europeans red-carpet welcome. Purtroppo, il 3 marzo del 1992, morta di cancro. She had an image to keep: Im tough so dont mess with me. She was a loner, really. Thats unusual for a racing driver. Date of birth. 1975 would prove to be an eventful season for the March Team, as Lombardi scored a Championship point in the Spanish Grand Prix. Facebook gives people the power. Lombardi enjoyed a successful association with Osella. This was the race stopped prematurely at only 29 laps after Rolf Stommelens leading Hill had lost its rear wing and crashed heavily, killing onlookers. Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (26 March 1941 - 3 March 1992) was an Italian racing driver who participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix. And much of the team that backed him in Formula 1 were wealthy gay men. [12] According to The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World, because of Lella Lombardi, there are more women involved in other aspects of Formula One, especially "traditionally female" jobs such as modeling. It wasnt a publicity stunt. The latest news, updates and more straight to your inbox. Lella Lombardi remains the only woman on F1's score sheet, but her passion brought impressive racing achievements elsewhere, too Montjuich 1975: Lella Lombardi hustles her March to sixth place and the only GP point for a woman albeit halved by the shortened race DPPI Author Paul Fearnley 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 The early days of her love affair with motorsports saw her sneak into Brooklands racing circuit wearing mechanics overalls, offering to help any mechanic or driver who would accept it. The male gaze has shaped motorsports, which is why those drivers that operate outside of its sight and yet succeed within it, are so remarkable. Some team mates will use up the car letting their ego get in the way trying to beat you, but she had no ego there. In the 1975 event, she was once again able to qualify and compete with a March-Ford. With the exception of Monaco, she qualified to start all of the remaining races. Montjuich 1975: Lella Lombardi hustles her March to sixth place and the only GP point for a woman albeit halved by the shortened race. Lombardi's next race, the Spanish Grand Prix, saw her make history. Sidste udgave: Lella Lombardi, Williams-Ford, USAs Grand Prix 1975, Watkins Glen. Held in Barcelona's Parc de Montjuc, later the site of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, the race passed into legend for other reasons. Lella Lombardis racing career has influenced the perceptions of subsequent generations of females in racing. The 5000 we spent renting a car from Bernie Ecclestone was our only investment in Lella, says Angela Webb. 2023 by Bump & Beyond. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. The Indy 500's gender segregation had just been nullified, which meant NASCAR had to step up to the plate. She failed to qualify RAM Racings BT44B at Brands where Divina Galica, the Webbs latest fast lady, outperformed her and in Germany the car was impounded by court injunction. Quite what Lombardi made of all of this confusion and acrimony is anyone's guess, but it took a great deal of intestinal fortitude and determination to climb aboard and race to a sixth place and half a point and a place in history. In her autobiography, Cowell describes motor racing as the be-all and nearly the end-all of my existence. Wikipedia. Lombardi is the most successful out of all five women who have competed in Formula 1. Lombardi succeeded at qualifying this time and would be in the field for the South African Grand Prix. Certainly, she would have achieved better results. She was tough and had great duration.. (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap. She raced a Lola-Chevrolet and finished 14th. She was judged purely as a racing driver. That was the first time we saw her, says John Webb, the UKs most go-ahead promoter of the period. She raced in Italian F3 for the next two years, finishing 10th in the championship both times and beating rated hotshoe Maurizio Flammini in a heat at Vallelunga. She was really nice, and a good partner to share a car with, something I was not used to. Lombardi was the first woman to qualify and compete in the Race of Champions in Brands Hatch and raced in sports cars. There was a multiple crash at the first corner involving at least nine cars, and there were other incidents for some 35 minutes, until finally the leading car suffered a structural failure and went over the barrier killing four bystanders. For Lombardi to gain the respect of such men as the legendary Arturo Merzario (seen above with teammateVittorio Brambilla) was a clear indication of herabilities and bravery. That certainly got their attention. Lombardi died of breast cancer three weeks before her 51st birthday. With its premium plus plan, youll be able to browse flight deals going for up to 90% off in business, premium economy, and economy class. However, this race only lasted 23 laps until Lombardi was forced to retire with a fuel system problem. No trouble.. The relationship between Lombardi and the team soured, ending her career with March. The F1 cars of that time were no easy feat to manage worlds away from the control of today. At the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Lombardi had a one-off drive for Williams. The following year ended in a retirement. Lombardi is the only woman to ever participate in the race of champions Stamina was no problem, either, because you couldnt drive flat out back then and expect to last the distance.. Sincethe 20th century, women have risen from being second-class citizens in previous eras, to now running countries, corporations and, in truth, men. Elford: When asked in a press conference how she was coping with such a hefty car, she replied, I dont have to carry it, I just have to drive it.. Bar a disappointing appearance at a Mallory Park round of the 1979 Aurora AFX F1 Championship in Zanons FW06, it would be sports cars, GTs and saloons from here on. (Shed already been farmed out to Williams at Watkins Glen the previous October, when her FW04 conked on the warm-up lap.) She told me shed been hit on her breast during a sailing trip and it hurt very much. While she had some poor seasons behind the wheel of poor cars, she also could consistently log top ten finishes. Proudly created withWix.com. She wasnt there to make up the numbers. Michele Mouton came within a whisker of becoming the World Rally Champion, Lilian Bryner has won the Spa 24 Hours, and Sabine Schmitz has twice triumphed at the Nrburgring 24. Highlights include: being crowned the Italian Formula Three runner up in 1968 and winning the Italian Formula 850 Series in 1970. Technically, because he was regarded by many as only semi-closeted as he often brought a girlfriend along to his races though friends and colleagues say most of them knew and werent bothered by it. On her deathbed she asked us to continue the team to preserve what she had achieved. That includes both domestic and international flights. The founder brought a pair of 1975 Brabham BT44B Grand Prix cars with help from the driver Loris Kessel, selling the other seat to whoever could afford them for selected races of the 1976 championship. Lombardi and Beckers qualified fourth at Daytona, but crashed out after 78 laps when a slower Porsche suffered a blow-out as Beckers drew alongside. [7] In 1974, Lombardi was signed to drive the Shellsport-Luxembourg Lola in F5000 and finished fourth. No trouble. [12] Lombardi is considered an F1 trailblazer, after which women increasingly joined Formula One in many capacities aside from driving. World Titles She is the only woman to win points in Formula One, winning half a point in the Spanish Grand Prix. On reflection, however, he was probably looking after himself.. You are currently using an outdated browser. Its difficult to celebrate a points-scoring position in those circumstances. She won [from the third row, beating Jacques Laffite and Mike Wilds] and we became very friendly and kept in touch. Towards the end of the test she pitted because she correctly thought that the car was developing a puncture; not severe but enough to make a difference.. Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi was an Italian racing driver who participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix. Lombardis uncanny knack of pulling fish from the sea became apparent when they stayed on NASCAR boss Bill Frances boat in the Bahamas. I love motor racing and thats all I want to do. In 1974, Lombardi was the first female racing driver to qualify and compete at the Race of Champions in Brands Hatch. In 1975, Lombardi joined the March team for a full seasonat that time alongside the macho Vittorio Brambilla (nicknamed the Monza Gorilla) and Hans-Joachim Stuck. She gave them a good going over before finishing third, only two seconds behind Bartlett and sharing fastest lap with Stewart. Even Jochen Mass, declared the precipitate winner after 29 laps, scrambled from his McLaren with a face like thunder and threatened violence to smug officials. She wasnt rich her father was a butcher and, with no sponsors to begin with, she slept in her truck to save money. And Lombardi did. Wed been a disaster in terms of sponsorship since bursting into F1 in 1970, says Herd. Vit would come back in and say, Yeah, yeah, cars perfect. Lombardi, Lella (1942) Internationally famous Italian racing-car driver, known as "the Tigress of Turin," who was the first woman to compete in the U.S. Grand Prix. In Formula One, more than any other branch of the sport, if you are not in the right car at the right time, then you stand little chance of success. On retirement from racing in 1988, Lombardi formed her own team Lombardi Autosport. Inaltera [a wallpaper manufacturer] was about to launch in America in 1977 and so we entered the Daytona 24 Hours, too.