Who was the first female driver to start a Formula One race?

Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first female driver to start a Formula One race.

The Italian driver made her World Championship race start at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Driving a Maserati 250F, she finished 10th, becoming the first woman to start and finish a World Championship Formula One race.

De Filippis had entered the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix earlier that year but failed to qualify, so Monaco was not her first race start. This distinction explains why some summaries describe her as the first woman to enter an F1 race while others identify Belgium as her first start.

Lella Lombardi later became the second woman to start a World Championship Grand Prix and remains the only woman to score championship points. Giovanna Amati, Desiré Wilson, and Divina Galica also participated in Formula One events, but they did not precede de Filippis’ historic start.