Ten Greatest: Busting Myths About Female Race Car Drivers

Let’s Get Real: Why Aren’t Women Racing in F1?

You’re glued to the Monaco Grand Prix. Cars knife through Casino Square. The roar is electric. Then it hits you: ‘Where are all the female race car  drivers?‘ Hold that thought. Because here’s the turbocharged truth: Motorsport is one of the few sports where gender doesn’t dictate who wins. Physics doesn’t care who’s behind the wheel. A woman can outdrive a man in F1 or tame a WRC beast on gravel. Yet the top tiers? It still feels like a high-speed boys’ club. So why the gap? Let’s dispel five toxic myths with cold, hard facts and the stories of fearless pioneers who have faced today’s struggles. And this isn’t Grandpa’s dusty history lesson.

So, Meet the 10 Greatest Women in Racing

Let’s hit the brakes on the old narrative that female racers are the rare unicorns of motorsport. Throughout racing history—from the gritty gravel of Dakar to the hallowed corners of Le Mans—women have been shattering lap records, stereotypes, and sometimes, the patience of men who thought they should stay home.

Here are ten women who didn’t just show up—they left a tire mark on the sport’s biggest stages.

Anny-Charlotte Verney

Ten straight appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Check. The highest finish for a modern-era woman at the race? Check. Verney’s endurance career spanned everything from rally raids to spa races, firmly planting her in racing folklore (and yes, she made a cameo as a character in The Crown).

Yvette Fontaine

Forget sticking to the script. By 23, Fontaine bagged the Belgian Saloon Car title, clinched class wins at Le Mans, and challenged the endurance world scene alongside racing legends and fellow trailblazers.

Janet Guthrie

Before Danica was a household name, Guthrie became the first woman to contest—and then finish—in the top ten at the Indy 500, breaking pit lane bans and patriarchal expectations as she went. This trained engineer and aspiring astronaut proved horsepower has no gender.

Lilian Bryner

Olympian, airline pilot, and perhaps the best Swiss driver you’ve never heard of. Bryner conquered the fearsome Spa 24 Hours and scored high Le Mans finishes, starting her racing journey later than most—and making up for lost time.

Danica Patrick

Love her or loathe her, Patrick remains the only woman to win an IndyCar race, and her daring fourth-place debut at the Indy 500 smashed records. Her jump to NASCAR was never quite as meteoric, but her impact in open-wheel racing can’t be overstated.

Lella Lombardi

The trivia answer everyone should know—Lombardi is still, incredibly, the only woman to score a Formula 1 point (well, half a point, thanks to a rain-shortened Spanish GP). Her resume covers rally, endurance, and sportscars, proving grit travels across disciplines.

Pat Moss

Not just Stirling’s sister. Pat Moss was a rally champion whose career straddled motorsport’s transformation from gentlemanly time trials to full-contact mayhem. Three major international rally wins and a personality as lively as a Monte Carlo hairpin.

Desire Wilson

The only woman to win an F1 race—albeit in Britain’s Aurora F1 series—Wilson came heartbreakingly close to a world championship start. She blazed through prototypes, sportscar wins and even took a tilt at Indycar, leaving a legacy of what might have been if sponsors were braver.

Jutta Kleinschmidt

Legends say Dakar is an endurance beast. Kleinschmidt didn’t just survive—she won it, becoming the first (and so far, only) woman to take the rally’s top prize, and notching further podiums in this epic desert marathon.

And the list goes on… For every name here, there are dozens more kicking up dust in the shadow of the grandstands.

Their stories aren’t about exceptionalism—they’re about proving the myth of “exception” wrong, one corner at a time. Ready for a myth-busting lap of history? Buckle up: it gets faster from here.

More proof? 

But there’s more to Lombardi’s story than a single historic point.

That half-point came from an abbreviated, chaotic Spanish Grand Prix, but her F1 career (1974–1976, mostly with March) was a feat of perseverance in the face of limited budget and resources. Lombardi was reserved and enigmatic, never just a plucky paddock novelty; she was the real deal.

Beyond F1, she won the inaugural Shellsport Ladies’ Escort Challenge, then stacked up three World Sportscar Championship victories. With Enrico Grimaldi, she steered an Osella PA6 to victory at the 1979 Enna-Pergusa 6 Hours, and in 1980, teamed with Giorgio Francia to win the Vallelunga 6 Hours by a dominant four laps. The Lombardi/Francia duo added another win at the Mugello 6 Hours in 1981 (Osella PA8).

She tackled Le Mans three times, peaking at 11th place in 1977 alongside Christine Beckers (Inaltera prototype). The year before, she piloted a pink Lancia Stratos for the all-female Team Aseptogyl, finishing 20th with Christine Dacremont.

A pioneer on every circuit she touched.

Desire Wilson: The Woman Who Conquered F1 Cars (and Almost Changed Everything)!

Let’s talk turbocharged trailblazers: Desire Wilson didn’t just knock on Formula 1’s door—she left tire marks on it. In 1980, at Brands Hatch, Wilson made history as the only woman to win a race outright in F1 machinery, dominating the Aurora British F1 series in a Wolf—that’s not a trivia footnote, it’s a full-blown exclamation point.

She didn’t stop there. Wilson came heartbreakingly close to qualifying for the British Grand Prix, only to be stymied by last-minute car issues and a single, pressure-cooker qualifying session. Still, her raw speed and grit didn’t go unnoticed: the legendary Ken Tyrrell—never one to hand out praise or race seats lightly—offered her a spot in the 1981 South African Grand Prix. She battled wheel-to-wheel with the likes of Nigel Mansell, running as high as sixth before bad luck (and wheel-to-wheel combat) ended her charge. She was even offered a seat for the following year, but the daunting world of sponsorship politics kept the deal from getting to the grid.

And if you think Wilson was just a single-series specialist, think again. She snapped up victories in endurance racing, teaming up with Alain de Cadenet to grab wins at both the Monza 1000km and Silverstone 6 Hours. Then she hopped the pond for some Indycar action, taking a top-10 at Cleveland—a rare feat in its own right.

In a nutshell: Wilson proved, again and again, that the stopwatch never lies—no matter who’s holding the steering wheel.

Pat Moss (Stirling’s sister)

But that’s just a glimpse of what made Pat Moss a true legend on the rally scene. Before trading horses for horsepower, she was already an accomplished equestrian competitor—her knack for competition ran deep. Once behind the wheel, she didn’t just participate; she triumphed. Moss claimed victory at the famously grueling 1960 Liège-Rome-Liège Rally in a works Austin Healey 3000 (no small feat, considering the car’s reputation as a handful), not to mention wins in a nimble Mini Cooper at the 1962 Baden-Baden Rally and a refined Lancia Fulvia at the 1966 Sestriere Rally.

Her rally career spanned over 20 years, crossing eras from the precision-focused regularity rallies to the high-speed, rough-and-tumble events that defined the sport’s golden age. Even marrying Swedish rally star Erik Carlsson didn’t slow her down—she kept charging ahead, undeterred.

Pat’s earthy humor and grounded personality made her a favorite with the press, standing in contrast to her famously polished brother, Stirling. She once joked that she loved the Mini because “you could spin it all the way round without hitting anything”—though she admitted to being terrified of it when not in control.

Moss’s legacy? Not just her results, but the fearless, singular way she drove through rallying’s toughest terrain.

Indy 500’s Janet Guthrie

Defying an environment where women were officially barred from even entering the pitlane, Guthrie not only became the first woman to start the race, but went on to finish an impressive ninth in the 1978 Indianapolis 500—outpacing legends like Mario Andretti and Johnny Rutherford.

Before her IndyCar breakthrough, Guthrie was already making history, starting the Daytona 24 Hours in 1966 as part of the pioneering all-female “Ring Free Motor Maids” team. Her racing résumé extended well beyond the Brickyard: over her four-year, 11-race IndyCar career, she notched two top-10 finishes, including a fifth place at Milwaukee in 1979.

Not content to stop at open-wheel racing, Guthrie also took on the high-octane world of NASCAR, where she scored a sixth-place finish at Bristol in 1977—a record for female drivers that stood for decades. With roots as an engineer, nuclear physicist, and even a potential astronaut candidate, Guthrie’s journey was as groundbreaking in the garage as it was on the track

Lilian Bryner: The Sky’s the Limit

Think you have to start karting at age five to make racing history? Lilian Bryner begs to differ. Before trading in her saddle and cockpit for fireproof overalls, Bryner soared as both an Olympic equestrian and a commercial airline pilot—proving she doesn’t just chase speed, she practically lives above the clouds.

Her racing story took off in her thirties (age is just a number when you’re determined), first wrangling Porsches, then wringing every drop of performance from Ferraris. Teaming up with partner Enzo Calderari, Bryner charged through endurance classics under the BMS Scuderia Italia banner, with their highlight reel worthy of a standing ovation:

Spa 24 Hours, 2004

The jewel in Bryner’s crown—she conquered the legendary Spa circuit outright, part of a four-driver squad that led into the night and took the checkered as the only team on the lead lap.

Spa Silver, 2003

Just a year prior, she stood on the podium again after a hard-fought second-place, outpacing bigger machinery in tricky wet conditions.

Le Mans warrior

Bryner tackled the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times. Her ninth-place finish in 1994 remains a rare feat for a woman in the modern era—putting her among a select group of female drivers who have tamed La Sarthe.

Always a team player, Bryner may never have sought the solo spotlight, but her drive and resilience still shine. Whether flying planes, show-jumping, or hammering through Eau Rouge, she proves that determination—no matter when you start—can bring you to motorsport’s mountaintop.

Anny-Charlotte Verney: Le Mans Ironwoman

Let’s step on the gas for Anny-Charlotte Verney—endurance racing’s true marathon marvel. Between 1974 and 1983, Verney racked up a record-setting 10 straight starts at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours, more than any other woman in history. Her crowning moment? A sizzling 6th place overall in 1981, sharing a Porsche 935 K3 with Ralph Kent-Cooke and Bob Garretson—putting her ahead of dozens of factory teams packed with legends.

But Verney’s motorsport CV doesn’t idle at Le Mans. She stormed up the leaderboards in everything from sportscars and touring cars to grueling stage rallies and desert rally raids. In the 1985 Dakar Rally, she’s perhaps best-remembered for surviving a desert detour with Mark Thatcher, but unlike most, that wild ride didn’t keep her from returning for more, competing for giants like Mitsubishi and Mercedes.

Versatile? Absolutely. Verney was at ease in all-female crews or mixed teams, nearly cracking Le Mans’ top 10 back in 1975 alongside Yvette Fontaine and Corinne Tarnaud. Her final lap came at Spa in 1990, finishing a gutsy 12th in a Nissan Skyline with Japanese teammates.

A footnote that’ll impress your Netflix-watching friends: She even appears as a character in The Crown. But for motorsport diehards, Anny-Charlotte Verney’s legacy is spinning lap after relentless lap at the world’s toughest races—proving staying power is just as badass as raw speed.

Yvette Fontaine: The Surprise Champion

Let’s turn the spotlight to Yvette Fontaine, the Belgian dynamo who smashed expectations and chequered flag stereotypes alike. In 1969, Fontaine piloted her now-iconic yellow and green Chevron-Ford Escort to victory lap after victory lap at Zandvoort and Zolder, clinching the Belgian Saloon Car Championship at just 23. Not bad for someone shunted aside to make room for Belgian superstar Jacky Ickx at the season’s start!

Even as the sponsorship pennies were often stretched paper-thin (no bottomless Red Bull budget here), Fontaine kept pushing. She grabbed two more saloon car wins in 1970 and took top honors in a European Touring Car showdown at Zandvoort. International opportunities were few, but when the call came, she delivered: at the 1974 Le Mans 24 Hours, Fontaine, teamed with Christine Beckers and Marie Laurent, wrangled their Chevron to a class win and 17th overall—making history as part of an all-female lineup.

Her professional career wrapped in 1975, but before bowing out Fontaine teamed up with Annie-Charlotte Verney and Corinne Tarnaud to snag another Le Mans class win, bringing their Porsche Carrera home 11th overall. Proof, yet again, that given half a chance—and even less budget—talent like Fontaine’s could rewrite the record books.

💡 Reality Check: The rules didn’t ban women. However, the ‘old boys’ club’ mentality in motorsport built invisible walls. Although World War II broke down barriers, the momentum stalled.

….Why So Many Come from Europe—and the ‘70s?

So, why do the biggest names so often hail from Europe and peak in the 1970s? Blame it on timing, opportunity, and a bit of post-war grit.

After WWII, Europe’s racing scene exploded—tracks reopened, car manufacturers got feisty, and there was a growing push for more drivers of all backgrounds. That gave women rare chances (at least by racing standards!) to jump in, especially in France, Italy, and Britain. Club racing and touring car championships became accessible, and the old rulebooks didn’t technically say “no girls allowed.” Our barrier-breakers seized their moment, while social tides—think Parisian salons, not just paddocks—were finally shifting.

The 1970s became a golden decade because a wave of brave and talented women made it through the cracks. These weren’t karting prodigies plucked from the playground; many switched to racing in their 20s or even 30s, armed with engineering chops or war-forged fearlessness. They weren’t box-ticking “firsts”—these women were simply the fastest, hang-the-rest.

It’s a far cry from today’s F1 Academy or W Series hopefuls, who start training as toddlers. But in those days, experience, tenacity, and the right European passport sometimes counted for more than youthful speed.

And it’s not just driving.

💡 Reality Check: Females don’t just drive. They engineer software (Ellie Slater, Alpine), craft race-winning strategy (Bernadette Collins, Aston Martin), and lead teams. The passion runs deep and wide.

But here’s the kicker. So many talents vanish, not from lack of skill, but support:

Dakar’s Star Jutta Kleinschmidt

Not just a trailblazer, but a Dakar legend. Before her historic 2001 victory, Kleinschmidt started out following the rally on her own motorcycle, unofficially. She then swapped two wheels for four, steadily building her reputation—third in 1999, second in 2002, and still nabbing podiums as late as 2005. Her 2001 triumph wasn’t handed to her: after a grueling 6600-mile marathon across France, Spain, and the Sahara, she claimed the win by a mere two minutes and 39 seconds. Along the way, she racked up stage wins, handled high-pressure penalties, and outpaced both rivals and former teammates. Even after her historic moment, Kleinschmidt kept pushing boundaries—competing in events like the Baja Deutschland and returning to the dunes in her late 50s for the all-electric Extreme E series.

💡 Reality Check: Modern F1 cars have power steering. Endurance? Sarah Bovy’s WEC pole (2022) proves it. The ‘strength’ argument is stuck in the 1950s pit lane. It’s about supreme car control, mental fortitude, and bravery.

The Real Reason Women Vanish From Formula 1

The Future? Light at the Tunnel’s End!

• F1 teams now boast >10% female staff (engineers, strategists, directors) – a record high.
• F1 Academy mandates team backing for female drivers (e.g., Ferrari’s Maya Weug).
• Iron Dames are regular podium threats at Le Mans and in WEC. Like the latest wave of World Endurance Championship hopefuls, they’ve found their greatest success in sportscars—particularly when teamwork is at the heart of the story. All-female squads such as Iron Dames have shown that, whether running as a tight-knit unit or paired with male co-drivers, their results are every bit as impressive. The evidence is stacking up: all-women lineups consistently challenge mixed teams for top honors, proving the doubters wrong, one endurance race at a time.

However, one day soon, a woman will stand on the F1 podium. She’ll have a Lella Lombardi tattoo, Hannah Schmitz’s strategic brilliance, and Michèle Mouton’s fearless heart.

Until then? Celebrate every woman rewriting the rulebook – one daring lap at a time.