Motoring
Maria Teresa de Filippis Actuarius recounts the extraordinary tale of the first woman ever to make the start line of a Formula 1 race
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“In young Maria’s case it was the taunts from her brothers regarding how fast she could drive that pushed her into entering the 1948 Salerno-Cava de Tirreni hillclimb, in a Fiat 500. The resulting win would not only silence her siblings but also ignite her interest in motor sport”
he Formula 1 championship was first contested in 1950, just five years after the end of the Second World War, and at a time when the repercussions of global conflict were still a part of everyday life. It is perhaps a sign of the prevalent optimism for the future, rather than dwelling on the recent past that, instead of being a matter of surprise or resentment, it is merely a matter of record that the inaugural champion was the Italian Giuseppe Farina aboard an Alfa Romeo. The 1950s was a decade where a new social enlightenment walked confidently into the future, hand in hand with the inherent promise brought by technological advance.
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