/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-tor.buminteractif.com%2Ffanf1%2F2026%2F03%2F21_2250366144_083515d93e85-scaled.jpg)
Five women have officially raced in Formula 1, with the last appearance dating back to 1992, even though the sport is mixed. Even today, women still have to fight hard to be recognized in motorsports.
Formula 1 is a mixed-gender sport that technically allows women to compete for a driving seat, but only five women have ever started a World Championship Grand Prix, in stark contrast to the hundreds of men who have done so. The last woman to start a race did so in 1992, meaning that today, no women are represented in the elite of the sport.
The five women
F1 regulations have never outright banned women from competing. When the women who participated did race, the qualifying format was different: drivers had to achieve a time among the top 20 in qualifying to be allowed to start, otherwise they were excluded.
Maria Teresa De Filippis – The first woman to drive an F1 car was Italian Maria Teresa De Filippis, who competed in the 1958 and 1959 seasons. She made her debut in qualifying on May 18, 1958, in Monaco, where she drove a private Maserati 250F. At the time, drivers did not need to belong to a team to start, but to participate in the race, they had to be among the top 16 in qualifying. She failed on her first attempt, but later that year she competed in four other Grand Prix races with the Behra-Porsche team. She qualified for three of these races, with her best result being 10th place at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix, without scoring any points under the scoring system at the time. She retired from the other two races, including her home Grand Prix, while in fifth position. After five starts in the world championship, she also competed in two non-championship F1 events before retiring in 1958 following the death of her brother.
Lella Lombardi – The most famous of the five, Italy's Lella Lombardi remains the only woman to have scored points in a world championship race. She finished sixth in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, earning half a point under the old system and finishing the season in 21st place in the standings. In that race, Niki Lauda, who was in pole position, retired after a collision on the first lap, allowing Lombardi to inherit the points. Lombardi's F1 career spanned from 1974 to 1976; she participated in 17 qualifying sessions and started 12 races, more than any other female driver. In 1975, she competed in ten Grand Prix races for March Engineering, RAM Racing, and Williams. After leaving F1, she raced in other categories, including four starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Divina Galica – The third woman to enter F1 was British skier-turned-driver Divina Galica. At the age of 20, after being invited to participate in a celebrity car race, she turned to motorsport, progressing from karting to Formula 2 and eventually to F1. Between 1976 and 1978, she took part in three qualifying sessions for Surtees and Hesketh, but never managed to qualify, and therefore never started a world championship race. She then returned to alpine skiing and competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
Desiré Wilson – South African Desiré Wilson excelled in single-seaters and IndyCar, but never made it into F1. In 1980, she attempted to qualify for the British Grand Prix with Williams, but failed to make it onto the grid. However, she won a non-championship F1 race at Brands Hatch that year, becoming the only woman to win an F1 event, even if it was not part of the world championship. She also competed in the 1981 South African Grand Prix with a Tyrrell, a race that was later declared illegitimate by FISA. Wilson's career shone elsewhere: she won the national Formula Ford title and triumphed in endurance events such as the 1,000 km of Monza and the 6 Hours of Silverstone in 1980. Giovanna Amati – The most recent female F1 driver, Italy's Giovanna Amati, followed an unusual path: after racing in Formula Abarth, Formula 3 (1985-1986), International Formula 3000, and Japanese F3000, she tested for Benetton-Ford before being signed by Brabham for the 1992 season. Amati took part in three qualifying sessions but failed to set a fast enough time to qualify for the starting grid, thus ending her brief F1 career. At the end of 1992, she was not re-signed by the team. Coming from a wealthy Roman family, her legitimacy was often questioned, and rumors suggested that she had been hired primarily for the sponsors due to her performance. She was replaced by future world champion Damon Hill. To date, Giovanna Amati remains the last female driver to have competed in Formula 1.
What is the place of women today?
Twenty-two seasons after Amati's last attempt to qualify, no women currently race in F1, at least not in the Grand Prix category. Their overall presence in motorsport and the media remains modest, although some women hold positions within teams. At Williams, 25-year-old Brit Jamie Chadwick works as a development driver. She also raced in the W Series, the single-seater championship for women, in 2021 and 2022, winning both titles, and competed in Indy Lights with Andretti in 2023. While Chadwick is the highest-ranked female driver associated with F1, 25 other women are aiming for even higher positions. In 2023, an all-female series, the F1 Academy, was launched. The starting grid consists of fifteen drivers and the season consists of 21 races. Its goal is to provide young women with a platform to hone their skills and ultimately secure a seat in F1. The cars are single-seaters equipped with 165 hp engines. This initiative is a step forward, but it also has its limitations. Existing women-only series, such as the W Series, already offer a similar path. In addition, Formula 4 cars develop around 160 hp, almost as much as the F1 Academy cars, while the slightly more powerful F3 cars (around 180 hp) race in a mixed championship that feeds directly into F2, which is itself closely followed by F1 teams.
Contracts remain an issue
The drivers themselves recognize that money is the driving force behind Formula 1. Talent alone does not always guarantee a seat; financial support can be decisive. Canadian Nicholas Latifi, runner-up in F2 in 2019 behind Nyck de Vries, was hired by Williams in part because he brought significant sponsorship to a team that needed it. The same financial pressures affect the lower categories and female drivers. Even in a mixed-gender sport, sponsors often prefer a promising young male driver to an equally talented female driver. Social norms also play a role: only five women have had a chance in F1. The development path for female drivers is less advanced and receives far less support than that for men. Despite its flaws, the F1 Academy represents an effort to modernize a sport historically dominated by men and to create a clearer path for women who aspire to reach the highest level.
