When Lella Lombardi climbed out of her car after the plaid flag of the 1975 F1 Spanish Grand Prix was waving, she didn't know she had done something that was enough to go down in history. She finished sixth in the competition with the best racers in the world. History will always remember that day - that was the only time in Formula 1 racing history that a woman has won points in F1 race.
Lella has the same traits as many modern drivers, focusing on the race and never talking about her private life. This belief in focusing on the game has made Lella history. Her career cannot be said to be brilliant. There was no sponsor willing to fund her, and there was no reliable racing car at the same time. But she did not waste that fleeting opportunity, which was the best reward for her entire career. Although she ended up only half of the reward, according to the rules, the game ended early can only get half of the points.
Lombardi was born in Turin, Italy in 1941. She learned to drive when she was very young, and she would drive her car to deliver goods to her butcher shop at home. But it was not until she was in her 20s that she became interested in racing. She bought her first car in her life with the money she saved for her parents' work, which changed her life from then on. With a strong personality, she finally became a self-taught talent through unremitting efforts.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the media was not so developed, and Lombardi, who was quiet and not social, would not get everyone's attention. In order to protect the privacy of her lover Fiorenza, Lombardi strictly keeps her private life outside the court. She rarely accepts interviews and never reveals too much information. In order not to attract too much attention, he never wears feminine clothes. As her former Formula 5000 teammate Ian Ashley pointed out in Motorsports magazine:
"She was the first female racer to impress me. You know that this is not an easy car to drive - basically there is a tall raised F2 car behind the cockpit. But she can get faster and faster during the year-round race. If she can become more attractive, maybe more people will notice her."
When she finished second in the 1968 Italian Formula 3 Championship, she was already well-known in the local racing world and got the nickname "Turin Tiger". She has won a lot of victories in a slightly lower level game. By 1974, she was ready to drive a Brabham car to compete in her F1 debut as a private entrant, and unfortunately, she ended up not eligible for the competition.
But Lombardi did not give up. She was passionate about racing and devoted herself to it. There wasn't even a requirement for Brabham to pay her full salary. In this case, still give your all. As Lella's friend Angela Webb said in an interview with Motorsports magazine:
She stayed in Italy just to be able to participate in every race, but never asked for a salary. This is unusual for a racer.
She is charming, but stubborn and independent, and is a driver who can drive carefully on the road. I once went from Snetterton to Norwich with her and she kept 30 miles an hour all the way. It's so painful. People were looking at her, but she didn't care.
She is doing what she likes. She is not interested in fashion, she usually wears trousers. She kept saying: ‘I’m very tough, so don’t mess with me. ’ To be honest, she is a lonely person with no friends, but she is not afraid at all.
1975 Lombardi joined the March team and fought alongside Vittorio Brambilla and Hans-Joachim Stuck, nicknamed "Monza Gorilla". The first game of the season was in South Africa, where Lombardi competed. She was the first woman to qualify for the F1 main competition since Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958.Although she doesn't have a particularly outstanding car to rely on, she is still able to compete. If you don't have the support of excellent racing cars in the race, it is difficult to compete with other drivers.
1975 Spanish Grand Prix, when the 25th lap of the race was held, a serious accident occurred in Rolf Stomeren's car, killing 5 spectators. The game ended after that for only four laps. Lombardi ranked sixth at the time. In 1975, the sixth place was the last driver who could get points. Because the game time is shortened, Lombardi only scored 0.5 points according to the rules of the game. Who is still in the mood to celebrate her score in this situation, which makes her the only game that has achieved great success in the F1 main competition, and is also tragic. . After this Grand Prix, Lombardi said in an interview with the New York Times: Like many female racers, she doesn't care about her gender, everything is for racing.
I never thought I would be the first female driver to get points for the race. I just focused on my race and I knew I was as competitive as any male driver. Some people may think that racing is essentially a man's sport. OK, but I totally disagree. I think this is just a competitive sport. I love racing, and that's what I want to do. I'm not very clear about the difference between men and women. I like the feeling of the first crossing the finish line. I can enjoy this as much as all male riders.
Unfortunately, this was her only highlight performance that season. Her best result afterwards was only seventh place in the German Grand Prix. He has been troubled by various things in the rest of the competition, ranking 14th on average. She was driving an unreliable car at the time, and the racing engineer never took the various vehicle information from Lombardi seriously, so the problem from racing became even worse. Lombardi's relationship with the team also reached a freezing point, and her career with the March team ended. Although she has always maintained a good relationship with team owner Robin Herd, Robin Herd praised Lombardi too:
"Lella thinks she is a racer first, it has nothing to do with her gender. She is really professional and we love working with her. Happy and no worries."
But her racing career is not over yet, she does what many failed F1 racers will do, and there are still people doing it, going to race car events, she first competed in Le Mans in 1975, although she did not perform well in both Le Mans. But for a female driver who wants to continue racing, this seems to be the most effective option.
With few choices, you must seize every opportunity. And Lombardi did it. In 1977, she participated in NASCAR. Although this is just a publicity gimmick. At that time, women were just allowed to participate in the Indy 500 event, which meant that NASCAR was going to take action, too. Janet Guthrie played with Kristen Bex and Lombardi, who finished in 31st.
Lombardi's most successful season was in 1979. That year, she won the 6-hour enduro for Pergusa and the 6-hour june 4 for Valrelunga. She had been participating in RV events in the early 1980s, and she participated in several slightly lower-level RV events. This is undoubtedly the highlight of her career. Although her racing is still not good, she can also stay in the top ten finishes.
If she wasn't sick (later proved to be breast cancer), her career could have lasted until the late 1980s. Although she formed her own team with the help of Guys Remondi in 1989, Lombardi's physical condition deteriorated rapidly and she could no longer compete in any races. She died of breast cancer in 1992 at the age of 50 and was fortunate that her lover, Fiorenza, was able to stay with her for most of her career.
Lombardi's friend Raymondie told Racing Magazine that he missed Lella very much, she was a humble person who loved and enjoyed her life, although she had been suffering a lot of difficulties.
"She has to give up a lot of things in order to be able to compete all the time. She is not rich, and no sponsor is willing to sign with her. To save money, she can only sleep in the truck. She works hard to get what she wants. She has the power of a man, but has the sensitivity of a woman:. She is kind and quiet. She and Fiorenza are a beautiful couple, she is taciturn and never like the spotlight.
Lella occasionally complains about things in the paddock, just because no one wants to listen to her opinions on racing tuning.
"At the time she dies, she still hopes that we can continue to persevere and let the achievements she has achieved continue to pass on. We miss her passion, determination and humility. ”
If more people could notice Lombardi’s performance in the F1 arena, if she could be the focus of attention from time to time, what height would her career reach? No one knows. Many people on the March team expressed regret for her death because they knew that if she had a reliable car, she might become a successful racer. Nevertheless, as one of the few female racers who have participated in F1, she is still worth remembering. . She is one of the five women participating in the F1 race. The other female drivers who have participated in the F1 race are Maria Theresa de Filipis, Divina Garrika, Diesel Wilson, and Gilvana Amadi. (Note: Some F1 events held in the 1950s and 1980s under the framework of F1 rules. Although these events are not part of the F1 race, they are often called F1 races.) She is one of the two women participating in the F1 race and the only woman who has won points.
In addition to the above five drivers, there are also some female drivers who represent some F1 teams in the test race. Sarah Maria Fisher participated in a test race for McLaren at the 2002 Grand Prix. In 2005, Katherine Legge participated in the test race for Minardi Racing at the Vanilenga Track.
There are also some female drivers who signed with F1 teams as test riders or development riders for the team. 2012 Williams Team signed Suzy Wolf as their development driver. Maria de Verota was also a driver of the Marusia team. She had a very serious accident in 2012, resulting in blindness and loss of smell and taste. A year later she died of a heart attack. In 2014, Sauber signed Simone de Silwest as a member driver. At that time, Sauber hoped that she could participate in the 2015 race.
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