Women at the wheel

In 1975, Lella Lombardi was racing in F1 and became the only woman in history to be classified in the world championship (with half-a-point, for her sixth place finish in the shortened Spanish Grand Prix), but she also raced in the world makes championship with Marie-Claude Beaumont, at the wheel of an Alpine A441.

The two women finished sixth in the 1000 km of Mugello and fifth in the 1000 km of Monza, winning the 2-litre category. As a reward for these nice performances, Elf proposed to the French driver team Elf-Switzerland’s the third car, for the final round of the European F2 championship held at Vallelunga, alongside Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Gérard Larrousse, but lacking experience in single-seaters, Marie-Claude failed to qualify.

She then joined the Renault Sport team in F1 as press officer, before embracing a long career as photographer at the Grand Prix.