While Formula One is predominantly a men only affair, several women have competed with the boys over the years. In total women participated in a Formula One race 29 times. The first woman to participate in a World Championship race was Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis, who entered a private Maserati for the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. She didn’t qualify for that race, but later that season she returned and qualified 19th at Spa. She finished the race in tenth place. Later in 1958 de Filippis drove another two races, but she retired from both. For 1959 she signed with the Porsche team, but only stranded in qualifying in Monaco again. It took until 1974 until another woman made it to Formula One. In the British Grand Prix of that season, Lella Lombardi made her debut. She didn’t qualify, but returned with March the next year. In her second race for the team, she finished in the points. However, she only got half a point for her sixth place in the shortened race. With four more attempts in 1976, Lombardi reached a total of 17 attempts.
British Olympic skier Divina Galica then attempted unsuccessfully to qualify three times in 1976 and 1978, followed by Desire Wilson from South Africa who gave it a shot at the 1980 British Grand Prix. The final woman thus far to reach Formula One was Italian Giovanna Amati. In the heyday of the Brabham team she was given three opportunities to qualify, before she was replaced by one Damon Hill.
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