Breaking the Grid: The Five Women Who Entered Formula 1
From Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys by Elizabeth Blackstock
April 17, 2026 · 47 min
About this episode
Elizabeth Blackstock explores the lives of the five women who have competed in Formula 1, highlighting their challenges and achievements.
For more than 70 years, Formula 1 has been one of the most exclusive — and challenging — arenas in global sport. And while over 1,000 drivers have entered a Grand Prix, only five of them have been women. But who were these women? How did they get to F1? And what barriers stood in their way? Join award-winning motorsport historian Elizabeth Blackstock for an exploration into the fascinating lives of F1’s fastest women. Among them are Olympians, kidnapping victims, and LGBTQ+ trailblazers who all had one goal in mind: racing on the world’s biggest stage. This audio is a recording of a public talk given at the San Antonio Library System during March 2026 in honor of Women's History Month. #womeninmotorsport #womeninhistory #womenracing #f1 #formula1 #lellalombardi #mariateresadefilippis #desirewilson #giovannaamati #divinagalica To find out more about Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys: https://linktr.ee/deadlypassionsterriblejoys Subscribe on Substack: https://deadlypassionsterriblejoys.substack.com/ Follow DPTJ on BlueSky: @deadlypassions-pod.bsky.social Follow DPTJ on Instagram: @deadlypassionsterriblejoys Follow DPTJ on Twitter/X: @terriblejoy_pod Watch on YouTube…
People in this episode
Host: Elizabeth Blackstock
Topics covered
- women in motorsport
- Formula 1 history
- barriers in sports
- female athletes
- motorsport pioneers
Keywords
- Formula 1
- women in racing
- motorsport history
- female drivers
- Olympians
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: San Antonio Library System
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