Fifty years ago, Lella Lombardi started a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austria. No other woman has achieved this feat since.
On August 15, 1976, Lella Lombardi took the start of the Austrian Grand Prix at the old Österreichring circuit. Fifty years later, this race remains the last Formula 1 World Championship event to have featured a woman on the starting grid. Half a century without a successor in the premier category, despite recent efforts to broaden the pool of female drivers.
This Sunday in Austria, Lella Lombardi was entered by RAM Racing in a Brabham BT44B. The Italian driver qualified in 24th position, with a car dating from the previous season. In the race, however, she finished in 12th place, four laps behind the winner John Watson, but six laps ahead of her teammate Loris Kessel, who was delayed by a long pit stop.
This Austrian Grand Prix was Lombardi’s 12th and final start in the World Championship. Since then, no woman has started a Grand Prix counting towards the Formula 1 World Championship. Lombardi also remains the only woman to have scored points in Formula 1. Her achievement dates back to the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, on the Montjuïc street circuit. She finished in sixth place.
The point awarded was halved, however, because the race had been stopped before the drivers had covered 60% of the scheduled distance. The tragic accident involving Rolf Stommelen, which caused the interruption, claimed the lives of five spectators. Lombardi therefore received only 0,5 points.
After her last Grand Prix appearance, she went on to have a solid career. At the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans , she finished second in the GTP category driving a Lancia Stratos. She returned to Le Mans in 1977, where she finished 11th with Christine Beckers in an Inaltera, and then won several endurance races, including the 6 Hours of Enna-Pergusa, Vallelunga, and Mugello.
After Lombardi, a door remained closed.
Several women have tried to follow in her footsteps, but none have managed to reach the starting grid of a World Championship race. The last female driver to attempt to qualify for a Grand Prix was Giovanna Amati in 1992. The Italian failed four times with a Brabham that was experiencing significant financial and technical difficulties. Since then, Susie Wolff is the only woman to have participated in a Grand Prix weekend as a Williams development driver . She drove in four free practice sessions between 2014 and 2015, but did not participate in qualifying or a race.
While Formula 1 has gained visibility, resources, and diversity, its last foray into women’s racing still belongs to another era. The sport is now attempting to address this lack of continuity with the F1 Academy. All F1 teams now support the championship, and Cadillac will join the program in 2027. But there’s still a long way to go. The main challenge isn’t simply identifying a driver capable of reaching F3 or F2 . It’s essential to increase the number of girls starting out in karting at a young age , ensuring a sufficiently large pool of talent.
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