The Lella Lombardi Story - The Importance of the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix

Formula One doesn't have a great deal of female icons, it should by now, but doesn't. So here's the story of one of those brilliant few. Maria 'Lella' Lombardi, the only woman to ever score points in Formula One. And a heap of other things besides!
This is the story of how one badly maintained circuit opened up a new chapter in the world of F1.

[@ebolart]

Interesting video, thanks! Just one minor thing: Pole is the first position on the grid, not leading the race.

[@vondumozze738]

Thanks for posting this. It was a great read and watch. I believe that I am somewhat distantly related to Lella and this was the most informative thing I've ever seen. Thanks again.

[@JesseOnCars]

You are so welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the mini-doc.

[@tippitytopp8469]

What an icon!

[@fabrizioviscardi40]

As I already wrote, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his death on 03 / March / 1992, I had the opportunity to race with Lella Lombardi in 1966 with the single-seaters of F.875 Monza. He races that took place in both day and night races. In Monza and Vallelunga. This preparatory formula certainly did not get used to controlling the great powers but had the considerable advantage of accustoming the drivers to managing the races considering the continuous presence of groups of cars with whose drivers there was a repeated confrontation on the track and, therefore, it was necessary constantly managing the rest of the race with clarity and coldness given the great possibility of creating accidents which, moreover, were quite frequent due to the many exuberant drivers. These were particular single-seaters as they derive from a Fiat station wagon from which they obtained all the essential components for which, for example, the braking system was considerably over sized in relation to the fact that the F Monza single-seater had a mass of only 400 kg and this it implied a very careful use in braking to the limit due to the risk of blocking and therefore of transforming the rolling friction into grazing with evidently negative consequences. Furthermore, the power-to-weight ratio was not that great, practically one HP per 10 kg of mass, and this implied particular attention to driving in order not to waste energy in unnecessary drifting or whatever. Without going too far into misleading technical problems in this case but which are, however, the prodrome to be able to assert that these single-seaters did not give the best performance with impetuous drivers, but with thoughtful drivers used to solving all racing situations with coldness and professionalism. , in continuous evolution with the progress of the tours. I like to point out that the Lella had all those characteristics necessary for a driver to have a following in his professional activity, which then happened to this singular female car driver. She remembered her as a seemingly petite and frail girl but, in reality, she was a person determined to make car racing be her thing. Lella was of extreme finesse, grace and kindness but, in any case, determined with obstinacy to pursue the goals she had set for herself in spite of the terrible difficulties that this profession implied and still implies today. When in the race I saw the car no. 29 close to me, I knew it was Lella and this made me very calm because the presence and proximity in a few meters of a driver with the head of a true professional was a reason for me to enjoy the race that was taking place under the wheels! These single-seaters, even then, had not always had anthropometric behaviors for which the bodies of the drivers were subjected to forces that involved tensions in several districts, for example, shoulders, arms and backs. The most prepared and reactive pilots were the most "fit" ones and with a perfect psychic and neurological apparatus. Lella evidently had all these characteristics considering that in her interesting career she managed to reach formula one, carrying out a dozen races in this category and perhaps more with the distinction of having been the only woman, in the whole history of the maximum. category, to obtain a score in the drivers' world championship and that, also for this reason, has entered the history of the formula one world championship. Maria Grazia Lombardi, called Lella, now runs in the sidereal interspaces of the infinite Universe but I am sure that wherever on Earth there is a track, a roar of engines and a scent of burnt tires and oil, there dear Lella is present in the memory of a time that was and for which he fought hard with success! R.I.P.

[@JesseOnCars]

Fabrizio, thank you so much for your amazing story about Lella. Those early Fiat based Formula cars certainly sounds like a lot of work to control and get the best out of. Judging by how you speak of them, and how well Lella did, she certainly was an incredible driver. Thank you again for taking to time to comment with you story, simply beautiful. Grazie. (I must say, your English is far better than my Italian!)

[@fabrizioviscardi40]

@@JesseOnCars Hello dear friend, certainly Lella was a special person and driver, and I was only pleased to remember her! I still congratulate you on your interesting channel, recently discovered. Best wishes Fabrizio

[@arthurbretas2003]

Actually you said "Carlos Pace" less wrong than most English speaking people who say "Pache", in Brazil we pronounce it more like "Passe". The C makes an S sound

[@JesseOnCars]

Oh. Well that’s good to hear, I was worried i’d gotten many of the pronunciations wrong, thank you.

[@arthurbretas2003]

@@JesseOnCars Idk about the Spanish names tho, I don't speak a word of Spanish

[@metacosmos]

same with Reutemann, not Rutemann.

[@fabrizioviscardi40]

Interesting movie, I sub your channel, cheers, Fabrizio

[@JesseOnCars]

Thank you very much! I'll hopefully have some more F1 history videos coming out in the coming months.

[@fabrizioviscardi40]

@@JesseOnCars A lot of thanks for sharing, cheers, Fabrizio