Lella Lombardi. The race suffered a major tragedy when the rear wing on Rolf Stommelen's Embassy Hill broke, sending him into the barrier. [6]. That 5000 stretched to a year-old Brabham BT42 sponsored by Allied Polymer Group and run at the British GP at Brands Hatch by Hexagon Racing, with help from Epstein. While trying to avoid Stommelen as he crossed the track, Carlos Pace crashed, and five spectators were killed by Stommelen's flying car. Maria Grazia Lombardi "Lella" Lombardi was a talented and brave driver, racing in Formula One from1974 to 1976. Jackie Epstein was running a Formula 5000 team out of Brands and we persuaded him to give Lella a try that winter. [4] Lombardi died of breast cancer in Milan on March 3, 1992. But the Italian would outlast the American in the race. She was a very good racer, it was very easy with her. Philanthropic enthusiast Count Zanon agreed and offered March 50,000 to run Lombardi in F1 in 1975. That she was a woman was an irrelevancy to Lella. Lombardi later raced in sports cars. She wasnt one of those tossers that arrive in F1 from time to time. Recognizing that every individual's motoring journey is unique, we seek to give form to both untold as well as celebrated facets of the automotive world. Retirements in Belgium and Sweden were followed by a 14th place in Holland, 18th in France and another retirement in Great Britain. #Grand Prix: nr of GrandPrix in all seasons. Things like that just dont worry me. Lella was far from being the first female female pioneer in racing. 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. Feeling this to be an overt bid by NASCAR to discredit her operation, her offer of help to these sisters-in-arms, though genuine, was made through gritted teeth. It was something of a publicity stunt. She spoke okay English by then, plus Id worked with so many Italian drivers that I could almost speak the language.. But she was a fighter and never gave up even through the operations. She learned how to drive behind the wheel of the delivery van for her familys butcher shop. No trouble. She finished, but she wasnt driving a particularly great car. There was no fairy-tale result in South Africa, however, as her car was retired with low fuel pressure. The next race, the German Grand Prix, was held at Nrburgring on the 14.189-mile Nordschleife not for the faint of heart. Lombardi raced a Lola-Chevrolet finishing unclassified in 14th. Check here for latest versions. Lombardi finished seventh in Augusts German GP, despite a puncture. Lella Lombardi is still the only woman ever to score F1 championship points. She would often speak of sacrifices. Formula 1 was at its most macho: James Hunt was having sex for breakfast; the Monza Gorilla was muscling a works March; and, on a hill overlooking Barcelona, officials, team bosses and drivers were at each others throats. She was regularly overshadowed by emergent team mate Vittorio Brambilla, never getting within two seconds of him in qualifying. 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. But even today we associate motorsports with something overly fraternal. At that time, sixth place was the final points-scoring position in a race. While failing to qualify, Pete Lyons, arguably the leading F1 journalist of that era, nevertheless described Lombardi'sintroduction to the world of Formula One like this: "Lella Lombardi drove her BT42 the same chassis with which Pace failed to qualify in France in a brisk enough, and clean enough, manner to impress people favourably.". Formula 1 was very important for her and her friend Fiorenza. In 1979, she won the 6 hours of Pergusa and the 6 hours of Vallelunga. Lella only complained about the inequality of Formula 1 because nobody had listened to her about changes for the car. Lombardi kept her personal affairs particularly quiet to protect the identity of her lover, Fiorenza. Enjoying his most competitive spell of F1, and with time against him at 37, the oldest man in the field can perhaps be excused his lack of concern for a friend and future co-driver. She is the only woman to date in Formula One history to score points when she finished 6th at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix and picked up half a point. Wed just started the ShellSPORT Celebrity Series [for Escort Mexicos] and my wife Angela invited her to compete at Brands Hatch in July. She raced regularly for March in F1 in 1975 with backing from Count Googie Zanon, retiring an old 741 with fuel system problems on her debut in South Africa, when she became the only woman after de Filippis to qualify for an official GP (ahead of Wilson Fittipaldi and Graham Hill), then scored that half point in only her second outing, the controversial Spanish race. La Lombardi non aveva ancora compiuto 51 anni ed stata sepolta nel cimitero di Frugarolo, nell'alessandrino, suo paese natale. Lella Lombardi: "Preferisco un incidente che innamorarmi", http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/llombard00/cup/index.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lella_Lombardi&oldid=1132016872, Italian Formula Three Championship drivers, Sportspeople from the Province of Alessandria, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 January 2023, at 21:48. Upload media. Maria Grazia Lombardi was born in Piedmont, Italy, on March 26th 1941. However, she was prevented from starting due to an ignition problem. The Grand Prix cars of the '70s were not very reliable, particularly the further down the grid you traveled. Born near Turin, Italy, neither of Lombardis parents knew how to drive. It won't be long until we find out For a better experience, keep your browser up to date. . Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only female who scored points in Formula One. There were two other female drivers in the field: American Janet Guthrie and Belgian Christine Beckers. Had Lombardi not begun to get sicklater discovered to be breast cancershe likely would have continued in racing past the late 80s, when she was forced to retire. Career 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. Her career is defined by a success halfway taken away from her, let down by lack of sponsors and unreliable cars. She finished 10th again in 1973, with a best of second place at Casale, in a Scuderia Italia Brabham BT41. Discover moreclassic cars| classic motorcycles and scooters, The story of the woman who invented the road trip, Attic stories: engines and ingenuity with Paola Lagnena, The customisable Mini Coopers that everyone wanted. Facebook gives people the power. Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (26 March 1941 - 3 March 1992) was a racing driver from Italy. Born As one might expect, Lombardi turned her hand to endurance racing in both sports and touring cars racing at Le Mans on four occasions, including her final appearance when she partnered with Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime Minister. Anyone seriously expecting the Italian girl to qualify for a place on the grid must show a lamentable knowledge of Grand Prix racing today, but this is no reflection on her efforts, which were very commendable.. Brambilla, perhaps never really pushing that car whenever he was asked to try it, never mentioned the handling problem, but Ronnie Peterson quickly noted it in 1976. But history will remember that day differentlyit was the only time in the history of Formula One that a woman has ever scored points in a championship event. Med Cadillac (General Motors) som partner synes teamet at have konomien p plads, og en ny, moderne fabrik med Formel 1-poteantiale og -teknik er under opfrelse i Indianapolis. She was retired after 20 laps. 0.5 In 1976, Lombardi was confirmed at March Engineering alongside Brambilla and Stuck. Montjuich 1975: Lella Lombardi hustles her March to sixth place and the only GP point for a woman albeit halved by the shortened race. In the 1975 event, she was once again able to qualify and compete with a March-Ford. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the first practice session of the new F1 season in Bahrain, WATCH: Ride onboard as Alonso sets the fastest lap in Friday practice in Bahrain, Hulkenberg points out area where Haas 'have a lot of work to do' despite taking P5 in FP2, 2003-2023 Formula One World Championship Limited. Because it was a short race, Lombardi was only awarded a half of a point. Pete Lyons summed up the mess that FormulaOne stumbled into at this race: "The first 1975 GP in Europe was an unmitigated debacle. She called out the hostile climate towards women after the Grand Prix, which was a first for the sport. Her F1 debut came in the tragic Spanish Grand Prix of 1975, where a car lost control and killed four spectators. Lombardi's career in the Grand Prix arena was done, but her career in motorsport was not. 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. Newcomer Lella Lombardi, at just 5ft 2in, had wisely kept her head down unlike her hairy-chested March team-mate. The race only continued for four more laps before it was stopped. 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 Maria Grazia Lombardi had spent 10 years climbing motor racings rungs, beginning with the Monza-based Formula 875. In 1974, Lombardi became the first woman to race at the Race of Champions at Brand Hatch. When Lella Lombardi climbed out of her Matra after the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, she didnt believe shed done anything unique. 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. She qualified 7 seconds off pole in P24 and got half a point because there were 18 DNFs, 5 people died and the race was abandoned. The world in general, and motor racing in particular, was a less enlightened place in the mid-'70s than present day. We miss her passion, determination and modesty.. In 1975 Lombardi took part in all F1 championship weekends apart from the first two races, Argentina and Brazil. In her autobiography, Cowell describes motor racing as the be-all and nearly the end-all of my existence. Over her career, Lombardi started an impressive twelve F1 races, spanning the 1974-1976 seasons. [14] Chadwick argues that for women entering Formula One in 2022, financial support is a greater obstacle than gender. The latest news, updates and more straight to your inbox. The race continued for another four laps, resulting in Lombardis sixth-place finish. She impressed him not only with her driving but also by her mechanical knowledge and feel. She was passionate about racing. Though Zanon, a huge fan of Petersons, smoothed matters by helping her find employment elsewhere, the transition was not without problem. Lombardi won the Fiat-engined Formula 850 Championship of 1970 in a Biraghi, scoring four victories at Monza against future F1 DNQ-ers Alberto Colombo and Giorgio Francia. She qualified. I totally trusted him. A start in the 1976 Brazil Grand Prix with a 14th place finish would be the end of Lombardi's career with the March team; she was then replaced by the great Ronnie Peterson. Regardless of everything though, she still defined herself by her love of motorsports and is remembered by her words: I prefer to have an accident than to fall in love. Lella was survived by her partner, Fiorenza. That she was a woman was an irrelevancy to Lella. Into 1974 Epstein signed Lella Lombardi, she had come through Italian racing and European F3 and immediately impressed with her handling of HU18. These were supposedly real mans cars with their big 5.0-litre V8 motors, but she handled them adroitly. Perhaps its the legacy of cars being thought of as symbolic of straight men or the continual presence of concepts like the Grid Girls in F1, a tradition which was only recently discontinued. The Indy 500's gender segregation had just been nullified, which meant NASCAR had to step up to the plate. Lella Lombardi was born in 1941 in Frugarolo, a small village in Piedmont, the fourth daughter of a cured meat industrialist. She had raced hard against some of the best drivers in the world, and she finished in sixth place. Women began competing as grand-prix racing drivers as early as 1958, when Anna-Maria de Fillipis competed in three Formula One events. Lombardi is the only woman to ever participate in the race of champions And post-war, we had Maria Teresa de Filippis a bold trailblazer herself French sportscar racer and rallyist Marie-Claude Beaumont, Desire Wilson, Deborah Gregg, Olympic skier Davina Galica, Lella herself and Giovanna Amati. Lella was survived by her partner, Fiorenza. Her experience has shaped the involvement of women in racing and how people perceive females in the racing industry. She also raced a Lola and an Eagle for Francisco Mirs team in the US F5000 series, as team mate to rising star James Hunt. That's how much I love racing. But it seemed to be the most fruitful option for a woman looking to continue behind the wheel due to how many options were available for her. She gave them a good going over before finishing third, only two seconds behind Bartlett and sharing fastest lap with Stewart. Thats why we were strong. But I dont think he ever did a flying lap in that car. Lella Lombardi Where better to begin than with the most successful female F1 driver of all time: Lella Lombardi. Its difficult to celebrate a points-scoring position in those circumstances. 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. She very tenacious, she from an early age she was attracted to four wheels and motors, preferring scale models to dolls. Fastest Laps Lella Lombardi will be remembered for her achievements in motorsport, her Formula 1 record and being one of only three openly LGBTQ+ F1 drivers. 18 (12 starts) Race stopped after 29/75 Laps. The following year ended in a retirement. [5] She was 50 years old and was buried in Frugarolo. Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. The Daily Mail branded her the Tigress of Turin in the lead up to the race. Find flight for cheapWith its premium plus plan, youll be able to browse flight deals going for up to 90% off in business, premium economy, and economy class. Motor Sport correspondent Denis Jenkinson reckoned hers, A game try. Well, I dont agree at all. From that peak it was back down to earth with a bump; Lombardi failed to qualify next in Monaco. She finished 14th at the Brazilian Grand Prix but the team decided to replace her with Ronnie Peterson, who became available after breaking away from Lotus. Recognised by his signature yellow Brabham, Beuttler remained forever, a dash of colour in a grey field. Lombardi died of breast cancer three weeks before her 51st birthday. They were better than her only championship event that year, just only just. Lombardi's place in motorsport history is firmly fixed. There were only two drivers per car back then, and we managed the two-and-a-bit-hour stints easily. Unfortunately, a major miscalculation in the Jean Sage-run team led to their retirement, when they ran out of fuel. Theres a lot of glamour surrounding the first girl to do Motor well in Formula One, but in some Sports ways the whole business is overrated. In 1976 Lombardi was confirmed at March alongside Brambilla and Stuck. Originally from Frugarolo in Piedmont district of Italy, Lombardi climbed through the junior Formulas, becoming the Ford Escort Mexico Champion and putting on a very assured performance in the Monaco F3 race, ahead of then future World Champion, Alan Jones. This approach works for an endless parade of nobody male drivers, and it got Lella close enough to just grasp at history, at least for a moment, before it all started to slip away from her. Points Thats unusual for a racing driver. Lombardi is the most successful out of all five women who have competed in Formula 1. Finishing 14th at the season opener in Brazil, Lombardi then failed to qualify in Great Britain and Germany. Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only female who scored points in Formula One. 26 March 1941. 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. Synopsis. She drove for the factory March team for the whole of the 1975 . Marie-Claude believes that she and Lella could have won Le Mans in 1975. Back then it was an endurance race rather than a sprint and we were quite competitive. She would just say to me, Marie, I have to do Formula 1., READ MORE: 5 reasons F1 fans are still in awe of the legendary Gilles Villeneuve. She was very professional and we enjoyed working with her. Purtroppo, il 3 marzo del 1992, morta di cancro. [14] This need for financial support is combated by the rise of the W-series, which started in October 2018. 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. She was third behind Keith Holland and champion-elect Bob Evans when a race at Snetterton was temporarily halted after six laps because of rain, then finished fifth after a collision with Holland while fighting for the lead on the restart. Delightful. The Petersen Automotive Museum will offer a special premiere screening of the film "Beyond Driven: Lella Lombardi and the Women of Formula Racing, "preceded by a social hour and followed by a question-and-answer session with filmmakers and motorsports drivers. 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. Behind the wheel, female drivers compete at the highest levels. 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. We gave Ronnie a new chassis for Monaco after his misunderstanding with Carlos Reutemann in Belgium, says Herd. Lombardi practiced her skills behind an F1 car in several non-championship events. By then she was fighting the cancer that would eventually take her lifeMarch 1992 at the young age of 50. The race was stopped shortly thereafter and half points awarded to those who happened to occupy the top six positions at the time.". After she had finished 12th in the prestigious Monaco F3 support race, an impressed John Webb of Brands Hatch fame put her in his Celebrity Escort Mexico series, where she beat Jacques Laffite and Mike Wilds. The 5000 we spent renting a car from Bernie Ecclestone was our only investment in Lella, says Angela Webb. She didnt care. And much of the team that backed him in Formula 1 were wealthy gay men. Wed recognize Lella now like a typical modern racer: focused on nothing but driving, not speaking about her private life. BBC News came to her first test with us at Goodwood and she wanted to know why. For a long time, motorsports was defined by its fraternal culturethe big cars, big engines and even bigger egosa high-octane experience that wasn't particularly accessible to people who didnt fit into the straight male mould. On her deathbed she asked us to continue the team to preserve what she had achieved. And Lombardi did. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Mar 2020 - Present2 years 11 months. Lella Lombardi (and every other woman to ever compete in F1 for that matter) is shit and didn't deserve to score anything. She was much more concerned by the settings than I was, great with the mechanics and very speedy. First Race She won [from the third row, beating Jacques Laffite and Mike Wilds] and we became very friendly and kept in touch. Leena Gade is one of a growing number of female engineers in the sport, with multiple Le Mans victories to her credit while working for AudiSport. 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. ), She is commemorated by a bust in her birthplace Frugarolo, near Alessandria, and her eponymous team in Lombardy exists to this day. And in 1976 she shared a Lancia Stratos Turbo with Christine Dacremont at Le Mans and finished 20th one lap and one place ahead of the Cosworth DFV-powered Inaltera of Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Jean Rondeau and Belgiums Christine Beckers. I don't know how you can positively spin that as earning it on merit. Roberta Cowells motoring history is often eclipsed by her reputation as the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in Britain, in her case from male to female. Lombardis first F1 attempt was at the British Grand Prix in 1974 driving a Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club. The fact that Cowell had all the traditional trappings of male heterosexuality but was a trans woman helped combat predominant stigmas around trans people, gay men and motoring too. Lombardi also competed numerous times at 24 Hours of Le Mans with her best result, a ninth place finish, coming in 1976. However, this race only lasted 23 laps until Lombardi was forced to retire with a fuel system problem. A very distant 12th place at the next race, Austria, was Lombardis final GP. Podium Percentage : 23.96%. Vit would come back in and say, Yeah, yeah, cars perfect. At the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi scored half a point, making her the only woman to ever score any championship points in Formula 1. Sign up to receive marketing communications. If shed been a bit more glamorous perhaps more people would have noticed.. Thats the one I remember. 1975 would prove to be an eventful season for the March Team, as Lombardi scored a Championship point in the Spanish Grand Prix. 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. 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. She was sure of her illness by 1985. Died She won the race again in 1981 with Giorgio Francia, with whom she had also won the Vallelunga Six Hours. 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. Catawiki is continuously updating its technology. By checking this box, you agree to Nitto Tires, 6 Racers That Broke Barriers Who Youve Probably Never Heard Of, 10 Great Ayrton Senna Quotes to Motivate You, Yes, I would like to receive emails from Nitto Tire and Driving Line. Initially we had wanted Inaltera as a sponsor, says team manager Vic Elford. Driver Information But at 25 laps into the race, Rolf Stommelen crashed his car and killed five spectators. She didnt care. ", "The rest of the drivers proceeded to put on a display of shunting never before seen. 2023 by Bump & Beyond. She was judged purely as a racing driver. Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only female who scored points in Formula One. Now she impressed racings international set by finishing 12th in F3s most prestigious race. Search instead in Creative? Showing Editorial results for lella lombardi. She never brought a girlfriend. 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.