ELLA LLOYD 2026 WDC

— your local women in motorsports enthusiast.

Maria Teresa de Filippis (November 11, 1926 – January 8, 2016) was an Italian racing driver, and the first woman to race in Formula One. Despite reservations from her family and friends (with two of her brothers making bets that she'd be slow) she won her very first race, driving a Fiat 500 on a 10 km drive between Salerno and Cava de Tirreni. This result gave her the confidence to compete in the Italian sports car championship, where she finished second in the 1954 season. She made three Grand Prix starts for the Maserati team, being a works driver since 1954, in 1958, with a best result of 10th at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Following Jean Behra's death in a racing accident (August 1st, 1959), Maria Teresa was left devastated and retired from professional racing. She married and started a family in the early 1960s, staying away from racing until 1979, when she joined the International Club of Former F1 Grand Prix Drivers, club that she was named vice-president of in 1997. Maria Teresa de Filippis died in January 8th 2016, in Scanzorosciate, Italy, at the age of 89. Even if her F1 career was short, she successfully competed in other racing series and is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of the sport.

(doriane pin, le mans 2026)