The best finish achieved by a woman in F1 was in 1975 when De Filippis' compatriot Lella Lombardi scored half a point for placing sixth in a shortened Spanish Grand Prix.
CNN: Female driver De Villota joins F1 ranks
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De Villota is only the sixth woman to be involved in the elite division of motorsport, the first being Italy's Maria Teresa de Filippis -- who raced in three grands prix for Maserati in 1958.