Lella Lombardi
Encyclopedia
Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (March 26, 1941 - March 3, 1992) was a racing driver from Italy
.
Born in Frugarolo
, she participated in 17 Formula One
World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 20, 1974. She scored a total of 0.5 championship points, and is the only female Formula One driver in history to have a top 6 finish in a World Championship race, at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix
. Half points were awarded for this race due to a shortened race distance, hence Lombardi received half a point instead of the usual one point. She is the sole female driver to score points in Formula One, as well as the only driver with that career total.
After performing well in Formula 3 and Formula 5000
in the early 1970s, Lombardi entered Formula One in 1974 with an old privately-entered Brabham, but it was with March
that she raced a full season in 1975. She then had a one-off drive for Williams
before a short-lived and unsuccessful partnership with RAM Racing
, driving another Brabham. Lella Lombardi had also started in NASCAR driving in the Firecracker 400 NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. Interestingly enough, there were no less than three female drivers in the field that included American Janet Guthrie
and Belgian Christine Beckers.
Lombardi later raced in sports cars
with some success. She died of cancer
in Milan in 1992, aged 50.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Born in Frugarolo
Frugarolo
Frugarolo is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km southeast of Turin and about 11 km southeast of Alessandria....
, she participated in 17 Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 20, 1974. She scored a total of 0.5 championship points, and is the only female Formula One driver in history to have a top 6 finish in a World Championship race, at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix
1975 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Montjuïc circuit on April 27, 1975, remembered as one of the most controversial and tragic race weekends in the sport's history after the death of five spectators who were hit by the crashing Hill GH1 of Rolf Stommelen...
. Half points were awarded for this race due to a shortened race distance, hence Lombardi received half a point instead of the usual one point. She is the sole female driver to score points in Formula One, as well as the only driver with that career total.
After performing well in Formula 3 and Formula 5000
Formula 5000
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula...
in the early 1970s, Lombardi entered Formula One in 1974 with an old privately-entered Brabham, but it was with March
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
that she raced a full season in 1975. She then had a one-off drive for Williams
Frank Williams Racing Cars
Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.-Early years:Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams' shrewd instincts as a dealer in racing cars and spares, he realised...
before a short-lived and unsuccessful partnership with RAM Racing
RAM Racing
RAM Racing was a Formula One racing team which competed during the racing seasons of 1976 to 1985. The team entered other manufacturers' chassis from 1976 to 1980, then ran March's team from 1981 to 1983, only entering a car entirely their own in 1984 and 1985.The team was formed in 1975 by Mike...
, driving another Brabham. Lella Lombardi had also started in NASCAR driving in the Firecracker 400 NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. Interestingly enough, there were no less than three female drivers in the field that included American Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie is a retired professional race car driver and the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500....
and Belgian Christine Beckers.
Lombardi later raced in sports cars
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
with some success. She died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Milan in 1992, aged 50.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 1974 Formula One season The 1974 Formula One season was the 25th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October... |
Allied Polymer Group | Brabham BT42 | Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1974 Argentine Grand Prix The 1974 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held in Buenos Aires on January 13, 1974.-Start-of-season preliminaries:It had been one of the most frantic close seasons ever with only Ronnie Peterson, Denny Hulme, Carlos Reutemann and James Hunt remaining with their teams. Emerson Fittipaldi... |
BRA 1974 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1974 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on January 27, 1974.- Race summary :Emerson Fittipaldi took pole position for his home race from Carlos Reutemann. The start of the race was delayed as the track had to be swept clear of broken glass from over-exuberant... |
RSA 1974 South African Grand Prix The 1974 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 30 March 1974.- Race summary :It was initially uncertain that the South African Grand Prix would go ahead due to the power crisis, but it did so, albeit belatedly in March... |
ESP 1974 Spanish Grand Prix The 1974 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jarama on April 28, 1974.- Race summary :With James Hunt's Hesketh having won the International Trophy, the season was one of the most open ever, with four different drivers from different teams having won the first four races and a... |
BEL 1974 Belgian Grand Prix The 1974 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nivelles on May 12, 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Clay Regazzoni - 1:09.82*Fastest lap: Denny Hulme - 1:11.31 on lap 37-Standings after the race:... |
MON 1974 Monaco Grand Prix The 1974 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 26, 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:26.3*Fastest lap: Ronnie Peterson - 1:27.9 on lap 57-Standings after the race:... |
SWE 1974 Swedish Grand Prix The 1974 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Scandinavian Raceway on June 9, 1974.The race was totally dominated by the two Tyrrell-Cosworth 007s of Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler. Depailler took pole position, however Scheckter beat him by 0.380 sec in the race, to score... |
NED 1974 Dutch Grand Prix The 1974 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on June 23, 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:18.31*Fastest lap: Ronnie Peterson - 1:21.44 on lap 63... |
FRA 1974 French Grand Prix The 1974 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Dijon on July 7, 1974.- Race summary :To honor the 80th birthday of the ACF, a parade of vintage cars was organized with a selection of great drivers from the 20s and 30s up to the present day. The race itself was largely uneventful... |
GBR 1974 British Grand Prix The 1974 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:19.7*Fastest lap: Niki Lauda - 1:21.1 on lap 25... DNQ |
GER 1974 German Grand Prix The 1974 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Nürburgring on August 4, 1974. It was the 36th German Grand Prix and the 33rd to be held at the Nürburgring complex of circuits. The race was won by Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni driving a Ferrari 312B3... |
AUT 1974 Austrian Grand Prix The 1974 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on August 18, 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:35.40*Fastest lap: Clay Regazzoni - 1:37.22 on lap 46-Standings after the race:... |
CAN 1974 Canadian Grand Prix The 1974 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mosport Park on September 22, 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Emerson Fittipaldi - 1:13.188*Fastest lap: Niki Lauda - 1:13.659 on lap 60*First race: Penske... |
ITA 1974 Italian Grand Prix The 1974 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 8, 1974.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:33.16*Fastest lap: Carlos Pace - 1:34.2 on lap 46... |
USA 1974 United States Grand Prix The 1974 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 6, 1974, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
NC | 0 | |
| 1975 1975 Formula One season The 1975 Formula One season was the 26th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently from January 12 to October 5 over fourteen races... |
March Engineering March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... 741 |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1975 Argentine Grand Prix The 1975 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Buenos Aires on January 12, 1975. It was the twelfth Argentine Grand Prix and only the second to be held on the lengthened six kilometre version of the race track that runs out toards Curvon Salotto around the lake which lies to the... |
BRA 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on January 26, 1975. It was the fourth Brazilian Grand Prix since its introduction in 1972. The race was memorably won by São Paulo native Carlos Pace driving a Brabham BT44B. It would be the only win of Pace's... |
RSA 1975 South African Grand Prix The 1975 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 1, 1975. It was the 21st South African Grand Prix since the first Grand Prix was held in 1934 and the ninth to be held at Kyalami just outside of Johannesburg... Ret |
21st | 0.5 | |||||||||||||
| Lavazza Lavazza Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. The business of Lavazza S.p.A. is currently administered by the third and fourth generation of the Lavazza family.-... March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... 751 |
ESP 1975 Spanish Grand Prix The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Montjuïc circuit on April 27, 1975, remembered as one of the most controversial and tragic race weekends in the sport's history after the death of five spectators who were hit by the crashing Hill GH1 of Rolf Stommelen... 6 |
MON 1975 Monaco Grand Prix The 1975 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held in Monaco on May 11, 1975. It was the fifth race of the 1975 Formula One season. It was the 33rd Monaco Grand Prix since the race was first held in 1929... DNQ |
BEL 1975 Belgian Grand Prix The 1975 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on May 25, 1975. It was the sixth round of the 1975 World Drivers' Championship. It was the 33rd Belgian Grand Prix and the second to be held at the Circuit Zolder... Ret |
SWE 1975 Swedish Grand Prix The 1975 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Scandinavian Raceway at Anderstorp on June 8, 1975. It was the sixth Swedish Grand Prix after it was first held as the Swedish Summer Grand Prix in 1933, and the third to be held at Scandinavian Raceway... Ret |
NED 1975 Dutch Grand Prix The 1975 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on June 22, 1975. It was the 24th Dutch Grand Prix. It was held over 75 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 318 kilometres.... 14 |
FRA 1975 French Grand Prix The 1975 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 6, 1975. It was the 53rd French Grand Prix and the third time the race was held at Paul Ricard. The race was held over 54 laps of the five kilometre circuit for a race distance of 313 kilometres.The race was won by... 18 |
GBR 1975 British Grand Prix The 1975 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 19, 1975. It was the 30th British Grand Prix to be held since the race was first held in 1926 and the 17th time the race had been held at Silverstone... Ret |
GER 1975 German Grand Prix The 1975 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on August 3, 1975. It was the 37th German Grand Prix and the 34th to be held at the Nürburgring. The race was held over 14 laps of the 22 kilometre circuit for a race distance of 319 kilometres.The race was won by... 7 |
AUT 1975 Austrian Grand Prix The 1975 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on August 17, 1975. It was the eighth Austrian Grand Prix and the sixth to be held at the Österreichring. It was held over 29 of the scheduled 54 laps of the six kilometre circuit for a race distance of 171 kilometres... 17 |
ITA 1975 Italian Grand Prix The 1975 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 7, 1975. It was the 45th Italian Grand Prix and the 41st to be held at Monza. The race held over 52 laps of the five kilometre circuit for a race distance of 300 kilometres.... Ret |
||||||||||
| Frank Williams Racing Cars Frank Williams Racing Cars Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.-Early years:Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams' shrewd instincts as a dealer in racing cars and spares, he realised... |
Williams Frank Williams Racing Cars Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.-Early years:Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams' shrewd instincts as a dealer in racing cars and spares, he realised... FW04 |
USA 1975 United States Grand Prix The 1975 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 5, 1975 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York... DNS |
|||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 1976 Formula One season The 1976 Formula One season included the 27th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 25, 1976, and ended on October 24 after sixteen races... |
Lavazza Lavazza Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. The business of Lavazza S.p.A. is currently administered by the third and fourth generation of the Lavazza family.-... March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... 761 |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
BRA 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos in São Paulo, Brazil on January 25, 1976. The race was contested over 40 laps and was the opening round of the 1976 Formula One season. The race was won by defending World Champion, Niki Lauda, who drove a Ferrari car... 14 |
RSA 1976 South African Grand Prix The 1976 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 6, 1976. The race, which was the second round of the 1976 Formula One season, was won by Niki Lauda in a Ferrari car who increased his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to 12 points by taking his third... |
USW 1976 United States Grand Prix West The 1976 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 28, 1976 in Long Beach, California. The race, which was the third round of the 1976 Formula One season, was won by Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari car whilst his teammate Niki Lauda finished second, and therefore... |
ESP 1976 Spanish Grand Prix The 1976 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jarama on May 2, 1976, and was the fourth round of the 1976 Formula One season. The race, which was contested over 75 laps, was won by James Hunt who drove a McLaren-Ford to take his first victory of the year... |
BEL 1976 Belgian Grand Prix The 1976 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on May 16, 1976.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
MON 1976 Monaco Grand Prix The 1976 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 30, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:29.65*Fastest lap: Clay Regazzoni - 1:30.28 on lap 60-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
SWE 1976 Swedish Grand Prix The 1976 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Scandinavian Raceway on June 13, 1976.It saw the first win of a 6-wheel car - the Tyrrell P34... |
FRA 1976 French Grand Prix The 1976 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 4, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: James Hunt - 1:47.89*Fastest lap: Niki Lauda - 1:51.0 on lap 4... |
NC | 0 | ||||||||
| RAM Racing RAM Racing RAM Racing was a Formula One racing team which competed during the racing seasons of 1976 to 1985. The team entered other manufacturers' chassis from 1976 to 1980, then ran March's team from 1981 to 1983, only entering a car entirely their own in 1984 and 1985.The team was formed in 1975 by Mike... with Lavazza Lavazza Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. The business of Lavazza S.p.A. is currently administered by the third and fourth generation of the Lavazza family.-... |
Brabham BT44B Brabham BT44 The Brabham BT44 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray, Brabham's chief designer. An update of the partially successful BT42 of 1973, the BT44 was a simple design with a standard Ford DFV/Hewland gearbox combination, but was very clean aerodynamically. Murray had an eye for clean... |
GBR 1976 British Grand Prix The 1976 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 18, 1976 at the Brands Hatch circuit, Kent, UK. It was the ninth round of the 1976 Formula One season.... DNQ |
GER 1976 German Grand Prix The 1976 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Nürburgring on 1 August 1976, and is notable as the location of Niki Lauda's near fatal accident... DNQ |
AUT 1976 Austrian Grand Prix The 1976 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Österreichring on 15 August 1976. This race was the only major Formula One and European victory for Penske Racing. It was a poignant win for the team, coming a year after the death of their former driver Mark Donohue at the same... 12 |
NED 1976 Dutch Grand Prix The 1976 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on August 29, 1976. It was won by British driver James Hunt driving a McLaren M23.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
ITA 1976 Italian Grand Prix The 1976 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 12, 1976.-Background:Monza had been modified from the year before, and the circuit featured 2 consecutive left-right chicanes creating the Variante Retefilo added before the Curva Grande, and a left-right chicane... |
CAN 1976 Canadian Grand Prix The 1976 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mosport Park on 3 October 1976.-Qualifying:- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
USA 1976 United States Grand Prix The 1976 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 10, 1976 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York... |
JPN 1976 Japanese Grand Prix The 1976 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Fuji on October 24, 1976.The 1976 World Championship was to be decided at the Mount Fuji circuit, with Niki Lauda just three points ahead of James Hunt after a season full of incidents including Lauda's near-fatal crash at the Nürburgring... |