Giovanna Amati

12. Apr 2026

by Ziv Knoll

42 views

Giovanna Amati is a former Italian racing driver, born on July 20, 1959 in Rome . She made history by becoming the fifth and final woman to have attempted (unsuccessfully) to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

A tragic event marked her youth: in 1978, at the age of 18, she was kidnapped and held for 75 days before being released for a ransom of 800 million lire. She has often stated that this ordeal forged her determination on the circuits

Formula 1 career (1992)In 1992, Amati joined the Brabham-Judd team (super licenses were out of the question at the time), which was then experiencing serious financial difficulties. His time in F1 was brief but historic:

Qualifying attempts: She participated in three Grand Prix weekends (South Africa, Mexico and Brazil).
Results: Driving an uncompetitive single-seater (the BT60B) and without having carried out any prior tests, she failed to qualify for the races.
Replacement : After the Brazilian Grand Prix, she was replaced by future world champion Damon Hill, because her sponsors had not paid the promised funds.
Private life: Giovanna Amati had a brief affair with Niki Lauda.