From Grand Prix pioneers to modern trailblazers – 12 women who’ve raced and tested F1 cars

Doriane Pin added her name to the Formula 1 history books last Friday, completing her maiden test at Silverstone while also becoming the first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car – and the first F1 ACADEMY champion to do so.

The 22-year-old Pin joins a list of pioneering women who have taken the wheel of F1 machinery, from the sport’s earliest days through to the modern era. To date, five women have entered a Grand Prix, with only two qualifying to start a race.

Following this latest landmark moment, we look back at the 12 women who have left their mark on track by contesting an F1 weekend or participating in an official test.

Maria Teresa de Filippis

The first woman to compete in an F1 race, Maria Teresa de Filippis’ journey into motorsport began in the same competitive spirit she showed throughout her career – proving her brothers wrong after one bet the other that she couldn’t drive fast.

At the age of 22, she made her competitive debut with a second-place finish in a local hill climb. Her performances soon caught the attention of Maserati, who signed her as a works driver after she finished runner-up in the 1954 Italian Sports Car Championship.

De Filippis entered the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. Of the 31 entrants, only half set a time good enough to qualify, with De Filippis missing out by 5.8s. The Italian also forged a friendship with five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, who reportedly told her: “You go too fast, you take too many risks.”

Three races later, she made history with her first Grand Prix start in Belgium, finishing P10. She went on to start the Portuguese and Italian Grands Prix but was forced to retire from both due to engine problems.

After failing to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix the following year and in the wake of the death of a fellow driver, De Filippis stepped away from racing. She later returned to motorsport in 1979, joining the International Club of Former F1 Grand Prix Drivers and became their Vice-President in 1997. De Filippis passed away in 2016, aged 89.

Lella Lombardi

Fifteen years after De Filippis, Lella Lombardi took up the mantle as the next woman to compete in F1. Her love of racing was sparked by driving the delivery van for her family’s butcher shop and she worked her way through Formula Monza, Italian F3 and Formula 5000.

After failing to qualify for the 1974 British Grand Prix, she returned for the 1975 South African Grand Prix but had to retire with a fuel system issue. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi finished sixth to become the first – and so far only – woman to score points in F1.

Holding the record for the most Grands Prix competed in by a female driver, Lombardi made 10 further World Championship appearances, including a P7 finish at the German Grand Prix.

Beyond F1, Lombardi enjoyed success in endurance racing, including class podiums at Le Mans and wins in the 6 Hours of Pergusa, Vallelunga and Mugello, before founding Lombardi Autosport following her retirement. After battling breast cancer, Lombardi died in 1992, aged 50.

Divina Galica

One of just eight people to have competed in both F1 and the Olympic Games, Divina Galica represented Team GB in downhill skiing at four Winter Olympics, captaining the team in 1968 and 1972.

Finishing second in a celebrity auto race, Galica turned her attention to motorsport, climbing to F2 before then attempting to qualify for the 1976 British Grand Prix. That race remains the only F1 weekend to feature more than one female driver on the entry list, with Galica and Lombardi both competing.

Galica later made further qualification attempts in Argentina and Brazil but was unsuccessful on both occasions.

Desire Wilson

Desire Wilson holds a unique place in motorsport history as the only woman to win a race in F1 machinery, claiming victory in the 1980 British Aurora F1 Championship – a non-World Championship series.

The South African attempted to qualify for the 1980 British Grand Prix but narrowly missed out. She later contested the non-World Championship South African Grand Prix in 1981, which proved to be her final F1 appearance.

Wilson went on to enjoy a varied international career in sportscars and the IMSA GT Championship, while also making three attempts to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.

Giovanna Amati

The last woman to have entered a Grand Prix, Giovanna Amati’s path to motorsport took a dramatic turn aged 18 when she was kidnapped by gangsters looking to extort money from her wealthy parents.

Putting the experience behind her, she attended a racing school and began to compete professionally in the 1981 Formula Abarth series and progressed up the single-seater ladder, including a win in Italian F3 in 1986.

Handed a test with Benetton in 1991, she secured a race seat the following year with Brabham. Unsuccessful in her three attempts to qualify for the South African, Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, her spot was given to up-and-coming talent Damon Hill, who then failed to qualify in six of his eight appearances that season.

Amati continued to race post-F1, winning the 1993 Women’s European Championship in the Porsche SuperCup and competing in the Ferrari Challenge and the 1998 Sebring 12 Hours.

Katherine Legge

Katherine Legge made a brief appearance behind the wheel of an F1 car, testing for Minardi at Vallelunga. Although the British racer spun out after two laps on her first run, she was back on track the next day and completed 27 laps.

The Briton has since become one of the most recognisable female racers. Making a name for herself in the US, Legge later went on to achieve points in IndyCar alongside qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 and 2024 – holding the record for the fastest Qualifying effort by a woman.

Maria de Villota

Maria de Villota first got behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2011, completing 300km in the Renault R29 at the Paul Ricard Circuit before Marussia hired her as a test driver the following season.

During a straight-line test in 2012, the Spanish driver suffered a serious accident at the Duxford Aerodrome that resulted in the loss of her right eye.

De Villota later tragically passed away in 2013 at the age of 34. Carlos Sainz Jr, who was mentored by De Villota as a teenager, honours her with a star on the back of his helmet in tribute.

Susie Wolff

After six seasons in DTM, Susie Wolff joined Williams as a development and test driver in 2012. Two years later, she participated in Free Practice 1 on home soil at the British Grand Prix – marking the first appearance by a woman in an official F1 session for over two decades.

A second outing for Williams followed at the German Grand Prix, before Wolff took up an enhanced test driver role in 2015 with further FP1 appearances at the Spanish and British Grands Prix. Retiring from racing at the end of the season, she co-founded Dare to be Different with the aim to increase female participation in motorsport.

Wolff became the first Team Principal in Formula E for Venturi Racing between 2018 and 2022. In 2023, Wolff was appointed Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY, playing a key role in bringing all F1 teams and liveries to the all-female series’ grid.

Simona de Silvestro

An established IndyCar racer, Simona de Silvestro joined Sauber as an affiliated driver in 2014. Her first F1 test at Fiorano saw her complete 112 laps behind the wheel of the C31.

The Swiss-Italian racer later returned to IndyCar and enjoyed stints in Formula E and the Supercars Championship. More recently, De Silvestro has added winter sports to her CV, competing in the monobob at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Tatiana Calderon

Tatiana Calderon broke new ground throughout the junior single-seater ranks, becoming the first woman to stand on the podium in the British Formula 3 International Series and to lead a lap in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

After competing in GP3, the Colombian was signed by Sauber as a development driver and was promoted to a test driver role the following year. Testing F1 machinery in 2018, she drove the C37 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and completed a two-day session a month later, driving the 2013 C32.

Retained by the renamed Alfa Romeo for 2019, Calderon became the first woman to drive in FIA Formula 2 and has since competed across Super Formula, the World Endurance Championship, IndyCar and the IMSA Sportscar Championship.

Jessica Hawkins

Aston Martin recruited Jessica Hawkins as a driver ambassador in 2021, alongside her second W Series campaign, later scoring her first podium finish in Miami in 2022.

In 2023, she tested the AMR21 at the Hungaroring, completing 26 laps. Her role has expanded, with Hawkins serving as Aston Martin’s Head of Racing for F1 ACADEMY. Away from motorsport, Hawkins has also worked as a stunt driver, featuring in the James Bond film No Time To Die.

Doriane Pin

The newest addition to the list, Pin first made waves in GT racing, catching attention when she won the 2022 Ferrari Challenge Europe – Trofeo Pirelli Pro title with nine wins and 10 pole positions. Graduating to endurance racing in the European Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship, she became the first woman to win the WEC Revelation of the Year Award in 2023.

A switch to single-seaters followed, with the French racer selected to represent Mercedes for the 2024 F1 ACADEMY season. Finishing second in her debut campaign, Pin was crowned champion at the second time of asking, taking four wins on her way to the 2025 title.

Graduating from the Mercedes Junior Programme this year, Pin stepped up to serve as a Development Driver for the team. The 22-year-old reached another milestone last Friday, testing the 2021-spec W12 across 76 laps at Silverstone to become the first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car.

This season, Pin is competing in the European Le Mans Series with the Duqueine Team, scoring a podium at the opening round, alongside contesting the 24 Hours of Le Mans and acting as a Development Driver for Peugeot’s Hypercar team.