Lella Lombardi
{{short description|Italian racing driver (1941–1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox F1 driver
| name = Lella Lombardi
| image = Lella-Garage-Reading-04.jpg
| caption = Lombardi in 1976
| nationality = {{flagicon|ITA}} Italian
| birth_date = {{birth date|1941|3|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Frugarolo, Piedmont, Italy
| death_date = {{death date and age|1992|3|3|1941|3|26|df=y}}
| death_place = Milan, Italy
| Years = {{F1|1974}}–{{F1|1976}}
| Team(s) = March, RAM, Williams, Brabham
| Races = 17 (12 starts)
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Points = 0.5
| Podiums = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest laps = 0
| First race = 1974 British Grand Prix
| First win =
| Last win =
| Last race = 1976 Austrian Grand Prix
}}
File:Lombardi at 1975 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg]]
File:Lella Lombardi 1975 RoC.jpg driving a March 751]]
File:Lancia Stratos Turbo Le Mans 1976 2.jpg competing in the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans]]
Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (26 March 1941 – 3 March 1992) was an Italian racing driver who participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix. Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only female driver who scored points in Formula One.
Lombardi grew up in Italy and developed an interest in racing by driving a delivery van for her family. Starting in karting and moving to Formula Monza and Formula Three, Lombardi advanced through racing until she reached Formula One. She is the only woman to win points in Formula One, winning half a point in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Lombardi was also the first woman to qualify and compete in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch and raced in sports cars. She won the 6 Hours of Pergusa and the 6 Hours of Vallelunga.
Lombardi's story has impacted generations of racers. Her experience has shaped the involvement of women in racing and how people perceive women in the racing industry.
Personal life
Lombardi was born in Frugarolo, a small town in Piedmont in Italy.{{Cite web |title=Lella Lombardi, F1 driver |url=https://www.racing-statistics.com/en/f1-drivers/lella-lombardi |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Formula 1 Statistics |language=en}} Her father was a butcher, who gave Lella her first job as a delivery driver for the family's shop.{{Cite web |last=hr |title=Information about Lella Lombardi from historicracing.com |url=https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=2329 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=www.historicracing.com |language=en}} At first, Lombardi’s father found her passion for racing hard to accept but embraced it once she finished runner-up in a 1968 race.{{Cite web |last=Tremayne |first=David |date=3 March 2022 |title=Trailblazing racer Lella Lombardi remembered, 30 years on from her death |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.trailblazing-racer-lella-lombardi-remembered-30-years-on-from-her-death.6zz9pupcxc97yy5SEL1kkR.html |website=Formula One}} Lella Lombardi was also one of the first female racers in a same-sex relationship.{{Cite web |title=Pitstop pioneers: the queer drivers who changed motorsports |url=https://www.catawiki.com/en/stories/6015-pitstop-pioneers-the-queer-drivers-who-changed-motorsports |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Catawiki |language=en}} Lombardi died of breast cancer in Milan on 3 March 1992.{{Cite web |title=Trailblazing racer Lella Lombardi remembered, 30 years on from her death {{!}} Formula 1® |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.trailblazing-racer-lella-lombardi-remembered-30-years-on-from-her-death.6zz9pupcxc97yy5SEL1kkR.html |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=www.formula1.com |language=en}} She was 50 years old and was buried in Frugarolo. She was survived by her partner, Fiorenza. Lombardi is commemorated by a sculpture in her birthplace, Frugarolo.{{cite web |date=28 August 2015 |title=She made her point |url=http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2015/110/she-made-her-point |accessdate=30 March 2017 |work=motorsportmagazine.com}}
Career
=Formula One=
After a brief experience with karting as a child, Lombardi bought her first car in 1965, racing in Formula Monza. She moved on to Formula Three in 1968.{{Cite web |title=Lombardi, Lella (1942—) {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lombardi-lella-1942 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}} In 1974, Lombardi was signed to drive the Shellsport-Luxembourg Lola in Formula 5000 and finished fourth. Initially, Lombardi tried to qualify for Formula One with a privately entered Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club but failed to qualify.{{cite web |date=25 August 2016 |title=Pioniere. Lella Lombardi: "Preferisco un incidente che innamorarmi" |url=http://www.ingenere.it/articoli/pioniere-lella-lombardi-preferisco-un-incidente-che-innamorarmi |accessdate=28 January 2017 |work=ingenere.it}} That winter, she met an Italian nobleman, Count Vittorio Zanon, who sponsored her entrance into F1. In 1975, Lombardi was invited to join Vittorio Brambilla and Hans-Joachim Stuck on the March engineering team, racing the full season with Zanon's Lavazza Coffee Company’s sponsorship. 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. 1975 would prove to be an eventful season for the March Team, as Lombardi scored half a Championship point in the Spanish Grand Prix. This was because the race only lasted 23 laps until Lombardi was forced to retire with a fuel system problem, while the race suffered a major tragedy when the rear wing on Rolf Stommelen's Embassy Hill broke, sending him into the barrier. While trying to avoid Stommelen as he crossed the track, Carlos Pace crashed, and five spectators were killed by Stommelen's flying car. The race continued for another four laps, resulting in Lombardi’s sixth-place finish and, with the race being stopped before three-fourths of the scheduled race distance was reached, all points were halved.{{cite web |url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr254.html |title=Grand Prix Results: Spanish GP, 1975 |publisher=grandprix.com |accessdate=7 August 2011 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110623130545/http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr254.html| archivedate= 23 June 2011 | url-status= live}} Lombardi also successfully performed at other races, including 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. However, she was prevented from starting due to an ignition problem.
In 1976, Lombardi was confirmed at March Engineering alongside Brambilla and Stuck. She finished 14th at the Brazilian Grand Prix that year, and subsequently, the team decided to replace her with Ronnie Peterson. Then, Lombardi briefly moved to 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. In the 1975 event, she was once again able to qualify and compete with a March-Ford. She retired after 20 laps.
=Sports cars=
Lombardi later raced in sports cars. In 1979, 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, where she finished 20th in 1976 in a Lancia Stratos Turbo.
Lombardi had also raced 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.NASCAR Winston Cup Profile. http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/llombard00/cup/index.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013034928/http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/llombard00/cup/index.html |date=13 October 2012 }}
Lombardi retired from racing in 1988. In 1989, she founded her own racing team, Lombardi Autosport.{{cite web |url=http://www.lellalombardiautosport.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201011215/http://www.lellalombardiautosport.com/ |archive-date=1 February 2010 |title=Lella Lombardi Auto Sport}}
Legacy
Lella Lombardi’s racing career has influenced the perceptions of subsequent generations of women in racing.{{Cite book |last=Rholetter |first=Wylene |title=The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World |publisher=SAGE Publications, Inc |year=2011 |edition=1st}} Lombardi is considered an F1 trailblazer, after which women increasingly joined Formula One in many capacities aside from driving. According to The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World, because of Lella Lombardi, there are more women involved in other aspects of Formula One, especially "traditionally female" jobs such as modeling. Lombardi is also used as one of the reference points for women in racing.{{Cite news |last=Pash |first=Phil |date=1975 |title=Miss Lombardi Aims At Auto Sex Barrier |work=The New York Times}} Journalist Phil Pash reports that though Lombardi viewed racing as a masculine sport, she succeeded regardless because of her 'competitive spirit.' Among others who comment on the effects of Lombardi’s legacy is Matt Majendie, who writes about Jamie Chadwick.{{Cite news |last=Majendie |first=Matt |date=19 May 2022 |title=To break into F1 as a woman is not about gender, just money': British star Chadwick in pole position to end a 46-year wait |work=Evening Standard}} Chadwick argues that for women entering Formula One in 2022, financial support is a greater obstacle than gender. Majendie argues this by citing Lombardi’s example as a racer, who despite her gender, successfully entered Formula One. This need for financial support is combated by the rise of the W-series, which started in October 2018.{{Cite web |title=About W Series |url=https://wseries.com/about-w-series/ |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=W Series |language=en-GB}} The W-series is a women’s racing championship, which eliminates financial barriers, and gives equal opportunity to female racers. As an example of successful women produced by Formula One,{{Cite news |date=1 July 2022 |title=Women in F1 project |work=The Pretoria News}} Lombardi is credited with making Formula One accessible to women.
Racing record
=Complete European F5000 Championship results=
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |
Year
! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Championship position}} ! Pts |
---|
1974
! ShellSPORT Luxembourg |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BRH |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MAL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SIL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| OUL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BRH |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ZOL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| THR |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ZAN |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MUG |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MNZ |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MAL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MON |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| THR |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BRH |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| OUL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SNE |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MAL |style="background:#FFFFFF;"| BRH ! 5th ! 88 |
=Complete Formula One World Championship results=
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year ! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! {{Tooltip|WDC|World Drivers' Championship}} ! Pts |
1974
! Allied Polymer Group ! Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| GBR | GER | AUT | CAN | ITA | USA | ! NC ! 0 |
rowspan=3| 1975
!rowspan=3| Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RSA | | | | | | | | | | | | | !rowspan=3| 21st !rowspan=3| 0.5 |
Lavazza March
| | | |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MON |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BEL |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SWE |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| NED |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| FRA |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GBR |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GER |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| AUT |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ITA | | | |
---|
Frank Williams Racing Cars
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |style="background:#FFFFFF;"| USA | | |
rowspan=2| 1976
!rowspan=2| Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | | | | | | | | !rowspan=2| NC !rowspan=2| 0 |
RAM Racing with Lavazza
| | | | | | | | |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| GBR |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| GER |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | USA | JPN |
=Formula One non-championship results=
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year ! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 |
1974
! ShellSPORT Luxembourg | PRE |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| ROC |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INT |
1975
! Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ROC |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INT | SUI |
=24 Hours of Le Mans results=
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |
Year
! Team ! Co-Drivers ! Car ! Class ! Laps ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Overall Position}} ! {{Tooltip|Class |
---|
1975
|align="left"| {{flagicon|CHE}} Elf Switzerland |align="left"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Marie-Claude Charmasson |align="left"| Renault-Alpine A441 | S | 20 | DNF | DNF |
1976
|align="left"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Aseptogyl |align="left"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Christine Dacremont |align="left"| Lancia Stratos-Ferrari | GTP | 265 | 20th |style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd |
1977
|align="left"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Inaltera |align="left"| {{flagicon|BEL}} Christine Beckers |align="left"| Inaltera LM-Ford Cosworth | S | 279 | 11th | 4th |
1980
|align="left"| {{flagicon|ITA}} Scuderia Torino Corse |align="left"| {{flagicon|GBR}} Mark Thatcher | S | 157 | DNF | DNF |
colspan="8"|{{center|{{small|Source:{{cite web|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/Lella-Lombardi-I.html|title=Lella Lombardi, Italy|work=racingsportscars.com|accessdate=28 August 2017}}}}}} |
=Complete Shellsport International Series results=
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |
Year
! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Championship position}} ! Pts |
---|
1976
! Team P R Reilly ! Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | MAL | SNE |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| OUL |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BRH | THR | BRH | MAL | SNE | BRH | THR | OUL | BRH | BRH ! 42nd ! 2 |
=Complete British Formula One Championship results=
(key) (note: results shown in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |
Year
! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Championship position}} ! Pts |
---|
1979
! Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ZOL | OUL | BRH |style="background:#cfcfff;"| MAL | SNE | THR | ZAN | DON | OUL | NOG | MAL | BRH | THR | SNE | SIL ! NC ! 0 |
=NASCAR=
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
==Winston Cup Series==
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%" |
colspan=45| NASCAR Winston Cup Series results |
---|
Year
! Team ! No. ! Make ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 ! 29 ! 30 ! {{Tooltip|NWCC|NASCAR Winston Cup classification}} ! Pts |
1977
! Charles Dean ! 05 ! Chevy | RSD | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | NWS | DAR | BRI | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | CLT | RSD | MCH |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | NSV | POC | TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | ATL | ONT ! N/A ! 0 |
=Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results=
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;" |
Year
! Team ! Car ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Championship position}} ! Pts |
---|
1984
! | ZOL | HOC | AVU | AVU | MFA | WUN | NÜR | NÜR | NOR | NÜR | DIE |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| HOC |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| HOC | ZOL | NÜR ! NC ! 0 |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{DriverDB driver|lella-lombardi}}
- {{Racing-Reference driver|Lella_Lombardi}}
{{Female Formula One drivers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lombardi, Lella}}
Category:People from Frugarolo
Category:Italian racing drivers
Category:Italian Formula One drivers
Category:Italian female racing drivers
Category:Italian Formula Three Championship drivers
Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Category:Deaths from cancer in Lombardy
Category:March Formula One drivers
Category:Williams Formula One drivers
Category:RAM Racing Formula One drivers
Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers
Category:British Formula One Championship drivers
Category:Italian lesbian sportswomen
Category:20th-century Italian LGBTQ people
Category:Sportspeople from the Province of Alessandria