In 1975, Lella Lombardi became the only woman to score points in Formula 1

The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, held on the Montjuïc street circuit, remains one of the darkest weekends in the history of motorsport. From the very first practice sessions, drivers complained about faulty safety barriers, but the race went ahead under pressure. Quickly descending into chaos, the event was marked by numerous incidents before plunging into tragedy on lap 26 when Rolf Stommelen's car flew into the crowd, resulting in five deaths. The race was prematurely abandoned, and only half points were awarded.

A historic half-point in a cursed race

It was in this tragic and chaotic context that Lella Lombardi etched her name in history. The Italian, who shared the two March 751s entered that Spanish weekend with Vittorio Brambilla, finished sixth in this truncated race—well enough to earn half a point in the championship, the only possible bonus since less than 75% of the scheduled distance had been covered. A seemingly insignificant half-point, but one that will forever remain unique in the history of the sport.

Born in 1941 in Frugarolo, Piedmont, Lella Lombardi climbed the ranks of motorsport with remarkable determination in an exclusively male environment. She began her motorsport career in 1965 in Formula Monza, then moved up to... Formula 3 in 1968 and won the Italian Formula 850 in 1970. In 1974, she participated in Formula 5000 with Shellsport-Luxembourg Lola where she finished fifth at the end of the season, allowing her to secure a seat in Formula 1 for the 1975 season with March. Her presence on the grid was far from a given at a time when women were virtually non-existent in the paddock, and even less so behind the wheel of a car of the world elite. This half-point in Barcelona is the culmination of a journey built against all odds.

51 years later, a page still unwritten

What's most striking, with the benefit of hindsight over half a century, is that this record still stands. Since April 27, 1975, no woman has scored a single point—or even half a point—in Formula 1. Several have tried: Divina Galica, Desiré Wilson, Giovanna Amati, but none has ever managed to etch her name in the championship. Other drivers have been involved in Formula 1 recently, but always in a development driver role, not as full-time drivers. This is the case for Sarah Fisher, Katherine Legge, and Susie. Wolff, Maria de Villota, Simona de Silvestro, Carmen Jordá, Tatiana Calderón, Jamie Chadwick and Jessica Hawkins.

Of these drivers, all except Jordá and Chadwick actually drove a Formula 1 car, each time for TPC (test of previous cars) sessions — with the exception of Susie Wolff, who participated in four free practice sessions with Williams between 2014 and 2015. Obviously, another driver remains to be noted, the last to date to have raced in Formula 1. Dorian Pin, development pilot for Mercedes Benz — also a pilot for Duqueine in ELMS in the LMP2 category and development driver for Peugeot en WEC —, was able to take the wheel of the Mercedes W12 during a TPC at Silverstone on April 17th.

She also shared her feelings as a woman during a round table discussion to which AUTOhebdo was invited: “I think everyone expects that a woman can’t handle the same G-forces because we’re smaller, we have a different body, but ultimately, with preparation, that’s not true because you prepare for it, you’re a top-level athlete, regardless of whether you’re a woman or a man. They are two different physical preparations, that’s for sure, because the human body works differently. But we can see that physically there’s no problem and that today I did 200 km without any issues, so I’m very happy.”

Initiatives like the F1 Academy, launched in recent years to develop female talent and pave the way for them to reach higher categories, demonstrate a growing awareness, albeit belated. But the road remains long between a development academy and a Formula 1 seat, and the gap between the junior categories and the global elite remains immense. Lella Lombardi, who died in 1992 at the age of 50 from cancer, never knew that her half-point would remain unmatched for at least half a century. An unintentional record in a sport that is still struggling to write the chapter it never truly began.

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