A history of F1 firsts for women: From the first driver to Haas F1’s new race engineer

Elizabeth Blackstock
Maria Teresa de Filippis Formula 1 PlanetF1

Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first woman to race in Formula 1.

Countless records and firsts have been recorded in Formula 1’s 75-year tenure, but it took Haas F1 to make history.

The team is the first to hire a woman to serve as a race engineer; in 2025, the highly experienced Laura Mueller will fill that role for Esteban Ocon. In honour of that, we’re taking a look at some of the most notable firsts for women throughout F1 history.

First woman F1 driver: Maria Teresa de Filippis

Italian racer Maria Teresa de Filippis became the first of just two women to compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, making just three starts between 1958 and 1959 behind the wheel of a non-works Maserati.

De Filippis began racing after World War II, when she was 22 years old — in part because her brothers claimed she’d be slow. Her first events were hillclimbs before she progressed to endurance racing and then, in 1958, to Formula 1.

In three starts, de Filippis scored a best finish of 10th and earned the distinction of being told she was driving too fast by none other than Juan Manuel Fangio.

Her career would have perhaps been longer, but in 1959, after joining Jean Behra’s race team, Behra was killed. Having witnessed several friends die already in the sport, she retired. She remained the only woman to compete in F1 for 15 more years.

First woman to score a point in F1: Lella Lombardi

The second and only other woman to start a Grand Prix was another Italian racer, Lella Lombardi. Between 1974 and 1976, Lombardi started 12 different Grands Prix driving for March, RAM, Williams, and Brabham.

She remains the only woman to score any points in the sport. When the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was ended early as a result of a crash into spectator area, Lombardi was sitting in sixth position. During that era, that was the final points-paying position on the field.

Since then, no other woman has started a Grand Prix.

Critically, Lombardi was a trailblazer in yet another sense: She was one of the first openly queer drivers to compete in the top level of motorsport.

First woman to stand on an F1 podium: Ginny Williams

At the 1986 British Grand Prix, Virginia “Ginny” Williams made history by becoming the first woman to stand on a Formula 1 podium.

Wife of Frank Williams, Ginny Williams served as backbone of the Williams outfit after Frank was involved in a car accident that rendered him tetraplegic. In 1986, he was still in the throes of recovery, leaving his wife to not only care for him and their three young children but to run the race team in his absence.

That she was invited to hoist a trophy for Williams was a critical recognition of the role she played in keeping the team afloat, particularly because her husband opted against discussing her experience of his accident with her.

More on women in Formula 1:

??‘Like riding a buffalo’ – The chaotic story behind Lella Lombardi’s NASCAR debut

??75 days of hell: F1’s last woman driver has a shocking story to tell

First woman to test an F1 car: Sarah Fisher

As Formula 1 became more formalised and testing more controlled, the drivers behind the wheel were all men — until 2002.

An American racer competing in American open-wheel racing, Fisher was on hand during Formula 1’s 2002 United States Grand Prix for a demonstration run behind the wheel of McLaren’s MP4-17.

Though it wasn’t a test with an eye on securing a race seat, it did kick off the 2000s with a woman behind the wheel of an F1 car.

First woman team principal: Monisha Kaltenborn

In 2013, Monisha Kaltenborn became the first woman to officially serve in the capacity of team principal for Sauber. She had joined the team in 2000 to head their legal department and remained with the team throughout multiple personnel changes.

Kaltenborn served as team principal from 2013 through to mid-2017, after which point she moved on to found the KDC Racing junior team.

First woman to serve as race engineer in F1: Laura Mueller

On January 21, 2025, after 75 years of Formula 1, Haas F1 made history by promoting Laura Mueller to serve as Esteban Ocon’s race engineer — the first woman to hold that role.

Mueller first joined Haas in 2022 after working in various racing series around the world for a decade. Initially brought in for simulator work, she was promoted to performance engineer and now will become the first woman to speak to a Formula 1 driver over the radio during a race.

Why women matter in Formula 1

Time and again, when a woman’s accomplishments are praised in the world of motorsport, someone inevitably asks, “Why does it matter? Surely gender shouldn’t matter; it’s all about hiring the best person for the job.”

That’s absolutely correct. Unfortunately, “best” is a deeply subjective term, particularly when acknowledging that women have often been actively barred or socially discouraged from pursuing a role in traditionally male fields.

A young girl who expresses interest in a role in F1 will face more pushback against that decision than a male counterpart, and she will be guided toward more socially appropriate career paths. Should she persevere, she’ll run into plenty of barriers, ranging from general skepticism in her abilities all the way to harassment, all of which make it more challenging for her to secure key roles and move up in her career.

It’s a vicious cycle; without women in F1 roles, it’s difficult to imagine that such a role is possible for a woman. It can create a limiting worldview that sees highly talented female engineers, drivers, mechanics, and more opt to pursue a career elsewhere, because it simply doesn’t seem possible in F1.

Of course, one woman in a visible role in F1 won’t change the world — but it’s certainly promising to see so many teams hiring qualified women to senior roles within their organisation.

Read next:?Haas announce long-awaited F1 first in Ocon race engineer confirmation


 

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top