Modern day female drivers such as Abbi Pulling and Rahel Frey are making their name in the history books. But what about the women who laid the path before them, and already have a place in the history books?
Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic drivers from the distant, and not-so distant, past.
Lella Lombardi (1941-1992)
Often quoted as the only woman to score points in a Formula 1 race, Lella Lombardi had a significant influence on the status of women in motorsport. She was born in Italy in 1941 and grew up driving a delivery van for her father’s butcher shop, which created her love for driving.
Lombardi progressed from karting to Formula Monza in 1965, before moving into Formula Three in 1968. It was with the sponsorship of an Italian nobleman that she successfully joined F1 in 1975, racing for March Engineering. At the season opener in South Africa, she became the first woman since Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958 to qualify for a Grand Prix.
Lombardi later scored half a point at the Spanish Grand Prix after finishing sixth, which was her best result in F1. Other highlights included crossing the line in seventh at the Nurburgring, and a planned one-off drive for Williams that unfortunately did not take place due to an ignition problem.
Lombardi is considered a trailblazer, paving the way for women to partake in F1 in a range of roles. She has also one of the first female racers in a same-sex relationship, and is credited for making motorsport more accessible for women.
Divina Galicia (born 1944)
She may not immediately come to mind as a sporting icon, but Divina has certainly sealed her place in the history books. Predominantly renowned for her skiing prowess, she competed in four Winter Olympics, captaining Britain’s female team in 1968 and 1972.
Her talents also extended to motorsport after she spontaneously jumped in a car at a celebrity auto race, impressing everyone with her speed. Racing became her second career as she progressed from karts to Formula 2 and finally Formula 1. Her mentor, Nick Whiting, entered her into the 1976 British Grand Prix, held at Brands Hatch. She competed in a Surtees car and her appearance marked the first time in 13 years that a car had been entered with the ‘unlucky’ number 13. The superstitions rang true as Divina failed to qualify for the race, but she did join an exclusive group of seven F1 drivers who have also participated in the Olympics.
After entering three F1 Grands Prix, continuing in single-seaters for a few years, and working alongside the legendary Lord Hesketh (who gave James Hunt his first F1 seat), Divina became a racing instructor for Skip Barber Racing School.
Susie Wolff
It’s undeniable that the Scottish former racer is making significant progress in inspiring more women to get involved in motorsport, especially in her current role as managing director of F1 Academy.
After growing up around motorbikes and deciding that university wasn’t for her, Wolff joined Formula Renault. She comepted in DTM from 2006 to 2012, but left the series to focus on her role as a development driver for Williams F1 team.
At the 2014 British Grand Prix, Wolff became the first woman since 1992 to participate in an F1 weekend after driving in a free practice session. She repeated this at the German Grand Prix, later taking on an enhanced role as test driver. After retiring from F1 in 2015, Wolff moved into Formula E, becoming team principal of Venturi Racing in 2017. She took the team to its most successful season in 2020/21, with racer Edoardo Mortara finishing second in the world championship. Wolff was promoted to CEO but left the team in August 2022 ahead of its rebranding, switching her attentions to F1 Academy.
Jamie Chadwick
At just 26-years-old, Chadwick is one of the biggest names when it comes to women in motorsport. She started in karting at the age of 11, progressing to the 2015 British GT Championship where she became the first female and youngest ever champion alongside her co-driver, Ross Gunn.
It wasn’t until 2017 that she moved into single-seater racing, beginning with British Formula 3. In her second season, she became the first woman to win a British F3 race, taking victory at the historic Brands Hatch circuit.
Chadwick is perhaps best known for her dominance in W Series, winning the championship in all three years of the series’ existence. She holds the record for most points, wins, podiums and pole positions. After W Series went into administration, she was signed by Andretti Autosport to compete in IndyNXT, the primary support series for IndyCar.
Still a member of the Williams Driver Academy, Chadwick is currently racing for Andretti Global and is 13th in the IndyNXT series. Her best result in 2024 so far was a third-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
