page_title: Lella Lombardi
section_title: Early years
hierarchical_section_title: Lella Lombardi / Career / Early years
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Training voor de Grand Prix op het circuit van Zandvoort.
context_page_description: Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi was a racing driver from Italy.
  Born in Frugarolo, Piedmont, she participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 20 July 1974 and finishing her career with half a point. She is the only female Formula One driver in history to have a top six finish in a World Championship race, which she did at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. As well as being the sole female driver to score points in Formula One, she is one of two who qualified for a Formula One race.
context_section_description: Lombardi was born in Frugarolo, a small town in Piedmont in Italy. Her father was a butcher, and Lombardi's first job was to drive the delivery van for her family shop. After a brief experience with karting, she bought her first car in 1965 and raced in Formula Monza. In 1968 she moved on to Italian Formula Three, where she ended the season as runner-up to Franco Bernabei. In 1970 she raced a Biraghi in the Italian Formula 850 series. Lombardi won four of the ten races in the calendar, winning the championship. In 1971 she moved to London where she won the Formula Ford Mexico championship. In 1974 she raced in Formula 5000 with an Eagle Chevrolet.
caption: Lella Lombardi driving a March 751 Formula One car in practice for the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix
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