Latest news with #LellaLombardi
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Formula 1: Meet the women breaking barriers in motorsport
It is nearly 50 years since a female driver started an F1 race - Lella Lombardi in 1976 – but women have been making other history in other areas. Claire Dubbelman is one of those trailblazers as the first female deputy race director in F1, and the only woman to hold the FIA race director super licence. For the Dutchwoman, working at the pinnacle of motorsport was always her intended destination. Growing up around the sport - following it with her dad, who was a journalist - Dubbelman started her career at a grassroots championship where she described her role as "anything without a screwdriver", including doing hotel bookings for the crew, arranging the trophies for podium ceremonies and writing press releases. She remembers having conversations with drivers about their goals and aspirations. They would often talk about their dreams of making it to Formula 1. "They used to say: 'What is it you want to do?' And I said: 'I also want to go to Formula 1, you just want to do it in the car and I'll do it out of the car,' " she said. The 39-year-old is now one of 91 women working for the FIA, which equates to 32% of its workforce. Nearly half - 43 - were in senior positions as of December 2024, according to the FIA. "We have really strong female representation and that's what I'm really proud of in this team," she said. Getting there has not always been a smooth ride, though. Looking back on her early career, she vividly remembers an unpleasant interaction when she entered the office belonging to a chief executive of a racetrack to negotiate a contract. "I walked into the office and the guy opposite me said: 'What are you doing here?' And I said, 'I'm here to negotiate a contract.' He said: 'Are you sure you can do that?'" She said motorsport was a "challenging environment especially if you're young and female". "Being female itself is one thing but being young and female is an extra dimension because people think they can get away with more," she said. "I've definitely seen quite a bit of that." She added that was particularly true "in the lower categories", adding: "It's harder for women. There's a lot more catcalling, a lot more bias." In the face of those challenges, Dubbelman has learned the importance of resilience. "I've worked very hard to get here and I will not let anyone dictate whether I give up or not," she added. Some F1 teams have reported general increases in the numbers of women in their workforces in each of their respective gender pay gap reports, with data from 2021 to 2024 showing Mercedes went from 12% female employees to 17.9%. Over the same period McLaren increased from 13% to 20%, and Alpine rose from 11% to 14%. Dubbelman hopes the sport continues its drive towards getting more women working in the industry. "I think if this sport can be as welcoming as possible and see the value of different perspectives in the paddock, I think that will be a very nice place to work."
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Who was Lella Lombardi? Meet the first woman in F1 history to score points 50 years ago
Lella Lombardi (via Getty Images) Half a century ago, when life was very hard for women, Lella Lombardi was breaking all barriers, becoming the first—and to this day the only woman to have scored points in a Formula 1 Grand Prix. She did it at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, opening new doors in the historically male world of the sport. Her legacy continues to motivate generations of lady drivers as a sign of courage in the face of the most formidable challenges. Lella Lombardi: A woman motorsport pioneer racing through all barriers Born in Italy, Frugarolo, Lella Lombardi had always desired to compete and had started the process with karting and progressively moved up into Formula Monza and Formula Three. She was the first woman to race and qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix since Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958, and she did this in 1975. She broke through at the Spanish Grand Prix, where she came sixth—a finish, given the fact that the race had been shortened due to a crash, that left her half a point ahead. She was the first woman to score points in Formula 1. She also became the first female to qualify and compete in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in 1974 and place 14th. She also had success in sports car racing when she won the 6 Hours of Pergusa and the 6 Hours of Vallelunga and competed in the top-category 24 Hours of Le Mans four times. Although Lombardi herself retired from competing in 1988, she stayed in the sport as an entrepreneur when she formed Lombardi Autosport in 1989. Her impact on the sport of racing goes far beyond her racing years. Lombardi continues to be an inspiration to female competitors around the globe, showing all individuals that passion, will, and ability can be the key to success regardless of gender. Also read: The future of women in F1: Will we See a female driver in formula 1 soon? Five decades ago, Lella Lombardi made history in Formula 1. The sole woman to have gained points in the sport, she not only broke the glass ceiling but also provided an opening for generations of women to come to follow and pursue their own motor racing dreams. Her legacy gives hope to those who dream big in the motorsport world today, proving that the path to success is far from gender-based but purely by willpower.
BBC News
05-02-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Meet the girls pushing to become future F1 stars
It has been nearly 50 years since female driver Lella Lombardi competed in a Formula 1 race and since then… nothing. As the sport celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, the question lingers heavily: Can a woman make it to the top in this male-dominated world?More Than Equal - an organisation co-founded by ex-F1 driver David Coulthard - thinks it is possible and in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University is putting six promising young racers through a driver development programme, tailor-made to maximise their month, the inaugural group of girls, aged 13 and 14, took part in physical testing and research into how the menstrual cycle can affect performance. More Than Equal hopes the programme will prepare participants for a successful career in motorsport. "At the moment we're in a bit of laboratory phase," Tom Stanton, More Than Equal's interim chief executive and head of driver development, tells BBC Sport. "We've set something up that we believe is world class and is going to help us learn about the development requirements and trajectory of young female drivers."The girls' visit to the university's Institute of Sport involved a VO2 Max test - which measures how much oxygen a person can use while exercising - neck strength training and cognitive assessments, all key metrics for anyone hoping to become an F1 driver. Driving at high speeds with precision and skill is another element prioritised on the programme."What we are here to do is to help make the girls just a little bit more technically astute, a little bit more professionally aware and more physically capable,' Stanton adds. Menstrual research could be 'game-changing' A study by More Than Equal , externalfound a lack of female-specific training was just one of the obstacles women face when trying to find a place in Formula 1. The issue is not just specific to motorsport and many sports are now taking action to try to highlight the struggles, for instance assessing the impact periods, pregnancy and menopause can have on a top-level athlete. A BBC Sport study of elite British sportswomen last year found almost two-thirds of respondents said their performance was affected by their period, or that they have missed training or competition because of their Elliot-Sale, professor of female endocrinology and exercise physiology at the Institute of Sport, believes data-driven, science-backed research into menstrual cycles could be "game changing" for women's sport. "It's really great to see some attention and spotlight because each sport is different," says Elliot-Sale. "We don't know a lot, but I guarantee we're going to learn really quickly."If we're thinking about female challenges and say, ovarian hormones and menstrual cycles, whilst all female athletes might have that in common, the environment that they are placed in, the training and fuelling demands, there will be nuances and differences." Elliot-Sale hopes the programme can provide the girls with education and support so they have a better understanding of how to navigate each phase of their cycle. "In a way that is levelling up because men don't face some of these challenges," she adds. "Rather than look at these girls and say you might have to sit this one out, we can help with this and suddenly, for the race calendar, you've got that same freedom." What are the barriers for women in racing? The main obstacle for anyone trying to enter F1, be they a man or a woman, is money. Wealth speaks loudly in the paddock and, as Stanton points out, it is one of the few sports "where your financial capability is as important as your talent".But with women making up on average only about 10% of those in motorsport and many sponsors unwilling to take a chance on even the best female drivers, the lack of opportunity means the physiological demands of a modern F1 campaign on a woman's body are still unknown. While Coulthard believes there is no physical reason a woman cannot compete in F1, a VO2 Max test, for example, shows a male's score is typically around 20% higher than a female's with the same fitness level. Stanton says it would be remiss if the development programme did not compare the two sexes. "When we do our talent identification, we look at how they stack against the current field, which is boys and girls. We then look at the female field and try and gain an understanding of how they look there," he added. "We try to flip that lens every now and again to see it from both sides."When it comes to competing against boys in karting, Lana Flack, from Australia, and Skye Parker, from Trelogan, Wales, know first-hand how hostile events can be when the sexes are mixed and girls are winning. Lana, 13, found herself the victim of sabotage when she was heading for championship glory, while Skye, 14, - who has also been selected as part of the FIA's Girls on Track programme - was told "this is why women shouldn't race" while being wrongly accused of taking another driver out. They hope that with support they will be able to break down barriers like this to fulfil their ambitions."My big dream is to be a multiple F1 world champion," Parker says. "But I have to get one first."
