The First Woman of Formula 1

There’s nothing wrong with a little sibling rivalry. But if you can’t back it up in the sporting arena yourself, maybe don’t provoke your brother or sister. When Maria Teresa de Filippis took an interest in motor racing, her brothers mocked her. They didn't think she stood a chance. Well, that was all the inspiration Maria needed to prove them wrong. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
As a young girl, Maria Theresa de Philipps enjoyed many
sports like horse riding, skiing, and tennis. She came from
a wealthy family and recreational pursuits were encouraged, but that
didn't seem to sit well with her two older brothers,
Antonio and Giuseppe. It was the late nineteen forties and
Maria had taken an interest in motor racing, which had

(00:26):
seen a post war boom. But her brothers laughed at her.
They told her she'd be a slow driver, and even
had a bet on just how slow she'd go in
a race. That was enough inspiration for Maria. She was
determined to prove them wrong. And prove them wrong, she would, hey,

(01:00):
welcome to the pool room, where we celebrate the winners,
losers and the weird stuff between. I'm Tony Armstrong. Maria

(01:26):
Theresa de Philippus was born in Naples. She was the
youngest of five kids, and believe it or not, her
father was a count, so yeah, they came from money.
Maria took part in all the rich people sports, presumably
on some vast plot of land around the family sixteenth
century palace. Seriously, they owned a palace anyway, Maria was

(01:53):
very much drawn to the sports that were traditionally considered ladylack,
until her pesky brothers scoffed at her interest in motora.
She wasn't the type to take that sort of attitude
lying down, so she set out to show them up.

(02:13):
In nineteen forty eight, at twenty one years old, Maria
entered her first race in a fee at five hundred,
a local ten kilometer hill climb event, and she won.
Apparently her mother had told her go slowly but win.
She recorded the second fastest time in her class. No
word on whether her brother's paid up on that bet.

(02:37):
Maria was just getting started, though. She loved the speed
of racing and showed no fear on the track. Her
hero f one legend wile Manuel Fangio would later tell her,
you go too fast, you take too many risks. But
this attitude was exactly what helped Maria succeed. She progressed

(03:05):
to racing sports cars and was getting noticed both on
the track and off it. She struck up a racing
romance with a rival driver, Luigi Russo. The pair would
help each other with their racecraft and even wagered their
own friendly bets on who would place higher. They got engaged,
but never married and eventually split. Maria raced all over

(03:28):
Italy in national championship events before her talents landed her
a job with Maserati. Her brothers must have been spewing.
In nineteen fifty eight, at thirty one years old, Maria
made her debut in Formula one at the Belgian Grand Prix.

(03:50):
She was the first woman ever to appear in an
F one World Championship race. The grid was full of
F one's biggest names of the day, like Sterling Moss,
Jack Brabham and Mike Hawthorne. Her once fiance, Luigi Lussa,
was on the track too, driving for Ferrari behind the

(04:12):
wheel of a Maserati two point fifty f Maria placed
nineteenth in qualifying, a tough start for any driver, but
her skill was on show as she finished the race
in tenth position. Luigi crashed out and retired. Tragically. He
lost his life a few weeks later in another accident
at the French Gorand Prix. From there, Maria appeared in

(04:37):
a handful of other F one Championship events before retiring
from racing altogether after the loss of Luigi and many
other fellow drivers. During this dangerous period for the sport,
she decided it was time to call it quits. She
went on to marry an Austrian chemist and the couple
started a family. Although her F one career was short lived,

(04:58):
she blazed a trail for women in the sport and
walked away from it with a full life ahead of her.
After racing, Maria was really seen at the track. She
wasn't too fond of how money and glamour had changed
the sport, but in nineteen seventy nine she joined the
International Club for Former F One Drivers, alongside many championship grades.

(05:20):
She died in twenty sixteen, aged eighty nine. Although women
are still working their way into the male dominated world
of Formula One, they only have to look at Maria's
incredible story for all the inspiration they need. Thanks for

(05:51):
joining me in the poolroom. That's it for this episode,
but I'll catch you in the next one. I'm Tony Armstrong.
Have a good one.