Lella Lombardi


Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi was a racing driver from Italy.
Born in Frugarolo, Piedmont, she participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 20 July 1974 and finishing her career with half a point. She is the only female Formula One driver in history to have a top six finish in a World Championship race, which she did at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. As well as being the sole female driver to score points in Formula One, she is one of two who qualified for a Formula One race.

Career

Early years

Lombardi was born in Frugarolo, a small town in Piedmont in Italy. Her father was a butcher, and Lombardi's first job was to drive the delivery van for her family shop. After a brief experience with karting, she bought her first car in 1965 and raced in Formula Monza. In 1968 she moved on to Italian Formula Three, where she ended the season as runner-up to Franco Bernabei. In 1970 she raced a Biraghi in the Italian Formula 850 series. Lombardi won four of the ten races in the calendar, winning the championship. In 1971 she moved to London where she won the Formula Ford Mexico championship. In 1974 she raced in Formula 5000 with an Eagle Chevrolet.

Formula One

Lombardi debuted in Formula One in 1974 with a privately entered Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club but failed to qualify. In 1975 she was invited to join Vittorio Brambilla and Hans-Joachim Stuck at March and raced the full season. At the opening race of the campaign in South Africa, Lombardi became the first woman, since Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958, to successfully qualify for a Grand Prix. Her race lasted for 23 laps until she was forced to retire with a fuel system problem. 1975 would prove to be an eventful season for the March Team. Brambilla scored a surprise victory in the rain-shortened 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, while Lombardi scored a Championship point in the Spanish Grand Prix. The race suffered a major tragedy after 25 laps, when the rear wing on Rolf Stommelen's Embassy Hill broke, sending him into the barrier. He bounced off it and back into the road, hitting the barrier across the way and flying over it. While trying to avoid Stommelen as he crossed the track, Carlos Pace crashed. Five spectators were killed by Stommelen's flying car with the driver suffering a broken leg, a broken wrist and two cracked ribs. The race continued for another four laps, during which Jochen Mass passed Jacky Ickx for the lead. On lap 29, the race was halted with Mass the winner, Ickx second and Jean-Pierre Jarier crossed the line in third position. Carlos Reutemann finished fourth ahead of Brambilla, while Lombardi finished in sixth. With the race being stopped before three-fourths of the scheduled race distance was reached, only half points were awarded. Lombardi's other best result was at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, where she finished seventh. At the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen Lombardi had a one-off drive for Williams. She qualified for the race but an ignition problem prevented her from starting.
In 1976 Lombardi was confirmed at March alongside Brambilla and Stuck. She finished 14th at the Brazilian Grand Prix but the team decided to replace her with Ronnie Peterson, who became available after breaking away from Lotus. She then had a short-lived and unsuccessful partnership with RAM Racing, her best result being 12th at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Race of Champions

In 1974 Lombardi was the first female racing driver to qualify and compete at the Race of Champions in Brands Hatch. She raced a Lola-Chevrolet and finished 14th but was not classified. In the 1975 event, she was once again able to qualify and compete with a March-Ford. She was forced to retire after 20 laps.

Sport cars

Lombardi later raced in sports cars with some success. Her best season was in 1979 when she won the 6 hours of Pergusa and the 6 hours of Vallelunga. She also competed four times at the 24 hours of Le Mans, her best result being in 1976 when she finished 9th in a Porsche Carrera.
Lombardi had also started in NASCAR driving in the Firecracker 400 NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. There were two other female drivers in the field: American Janet Guthrie and Belgian Christine Beckers. Lombardi finished 31st.
Lombardi retired from racing in 1988. In 1989 she founded her own racing team, Lombardi Autosport.

Death

Lombardi died of cancer in Milan on 3 March 1992, aged 50. She is buried in Frugarolo. She was survived by her partner, Fiorenza.
She is commemorated by a bust in her birthplace Frugarolo.

Racing record

Complete European F5000 Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112131415161718Pts
1974ShellSPORT LuxembourgLola T330Chevrolet 5.0 V8BRH
4		MAL
Ret		SIL
10		OUL
5		BRH
8		ZOL
Ret		THR
9		ZAN
7		MUG
6		MNZ
4		MAL
7		MON
6		THR
6		BRH
10		OUL
4		SNE
5		MAL
4		BRH
DNS		5th88

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213141516Pts
1974Allied Polymer GroupBrabham BT42Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAESPBELMONSWENEDFRAGBR
DNQ		GERAUTCANITAUSANC0
1975March EngineeringMarch 741Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSA
Ret		21st0.5
1975Lavazza MarchMarch 751Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ESP
6		MON
DNQ		BEL
Ret		SWE
Ret		NED
14		FRA
18		GBR
Ret		GER
7		AUT
17		ITA
Ret		21st0.5
1975Frank Williams Racing CarsWilliams FW04Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8USA
DNS		21st0.5
1976Lavazza MarchMarch 761Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8BRA
14		RSAUSWESPBELMONSWEFRANC0
1976RAM Racing with LavazzaBrabham BT44BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8GBR
DNQ		GER
DNQ		AUT
12		NEDITACANUSAJPNNC0

Formula One non-championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123
1974ShellSPORT LuxembourgLola T330Chevrolet 5.0 V8PREROC
NC		INT
13
1975Lavazza MarchMarch 751Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ROC
Ret		INT
12		SUI

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Shellsport International Series results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213Pts
1976Team P R ReillyShadow DN1Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8MALSNEOUL
NC		BRH
9		THRBRHMALSNEBRHTHROULBRHBRH42nd2

Complete British Formula One Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112131415Pts
1979Team AgostiniWilliams FW06Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ZOLOULBRHMAL
14		SNETHRZANDONOULNOGMALBRHTHRSNESILNC0

NASCAR

Winston Cup Series

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results

YearTeamCar123456789101112131415Pts
1984Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6ZOLHOCAVUAVUMFAWUNNÜRNÜRNORNÜRDIEHOC
10		HOC
6		ZOLNÜRNC0