de Filippis, Ecclestone and Monaco

Maria Teresa de Filippis (11 November 1926 – 8 January 2016) was an Italian racing driver, and the first woman to race in Formula One. She indeed participated in five World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1958, but scored no championship points. Though her Formula One racing career was brief, she won races in other series and is remembered as a pioneer in the sport.

The photo above, shows Maria Teresa in her Formula Junior Stanguellini at Vallelunga in 1958.

On 18 May 1958 de Filippis was given the opportunity to enter the Monaco Grand Prix, in one of the Maserati 250Fs. Of the 31 entrants only half set a time good enough to qualify, with de Filippis missing out alongside fellow debutant… Bernie Ecclestone! Ecclestone and de Filippis forged a friendship on the occasion, and remained on good terms for the years to come. De Filippis’s time of 1:50.8 was 5.8 seconds behind the qualifying time of the fastest 16.