26 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

More sad news, unfortunately.  I have just heard from Howden Ganley that 1950s Maserati driver Maria Teresa de Filippis passed away yesterday evening.  Sincere condolences to her long-time husband, Theo Huschek - who would often introduce himself as 'Mr De Filippis' - her wider family and many friends.

 

DCN

Edited by Vitesse2, 09 January 2016 - 19:32.

[Ralf Pickel]

Very sad to read this. We usually saw her once a year at " Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano", where she has been honorary president of the organising club. 

It was always great to meet such a legendary driver and we had quite some entertaining conversations with Mr. Huscheck.

 

The photo has been taken at the rally in 2014, she has not been there in 2015, unfortunately.

 

[Jesper O. Hansen]

Sad news indeed, but hopefully she lived a full life.

 

I discovered her when piling through 1950s GP data, making a note that she was female at a time when ACO / 24 heures de Mans was a strictly male society, disallowing female drivers! And then she made an apperence a couple of years ago in a TV-commercial driving a 250F around Monza, advertising what? ...current F1?

 

Jesper

[Ralf Pickel]

The Video has been advertising Maserati in the USA.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=XWkBAE56C_s

 

Ralf

Edited by Ralf Pickel, 09 January 2016 - 09:28.

[Tim Murray]

Very sad news. She and Lella Lombardi are the only members of a very exclusive club. I'm always hoping that someone else will come along to pick up their baton.

RIP Maria Teresa

Edited by Tim Murray, 09 January 2016 - 09:38.

[Richard Jenkins]

Very sad but entirely expected as she'd been very poorly. If anything being the first lady in Grand Prix racing overshadowed some of her other achievements in the sport.
Sincere condolences to all who knew her.

[Michael Ferner]

Sad.

[richardspringett]

Maria Teresa, RIP.

 

Very sad news. A great Alfa driver amongst other wonderful Italian machinery.

 

Condolences to her family and friends.

 

Richard

[Victor]

Very sad news. She and Lella Lombardi are the only members of a very exclusive club. I'm always hoping that someone else will come along to pick up their baton.

RIP Maria Teresa

 

Dont' forget Divina Galica.

 

RIP Maria Teresa

[Tim Murray]

Divina never qualified to race in a World Championship Grand Prix.

[JacnGille]

aaawwwww

[GMiranda]

RIP Ms. de Filippis

[Nanni Dietrich]

Sad news, ciao Maria Teresa.

[Prost1997T]

Very sad news. She and Lella Lombardi are the only members of a very exclusive club. I'm always hoping that someone else will come along to pick up their baton.
 

 

Only if you ignore pre-1950 statistics.

[Rob29]

Sad news-certainly the first lady to start a WCF1 race-few males from the same era still with us.Love that video,had not seen that before= thanks for that link Ralf.

Edited by Rob29, 09 January 2016 - 16:18.

[AAA-Eagle]

Oh, no....        That's really sad news.....

 

It was exactly yesterday in the evening, when suddently I was striked with a thought of her. I then took a look in the database to remember her racing experience at the wheel of Maserati 250F, comparing her qualifying times at such fast and dangerous venues of 1958 WDC as Spa, Porto and Monza. I was quite pleased then to see that from race to race she was able to drive faster and faster. And finally at Monza, her last F1 race, where she successfully passed through quialifying, she set quite a reasonable time: 178,6 km average, just 1,3 sec off next fastest driver, Giulio Cabianca (who two years later would finish Italian GP in fourth place), and 15,4 sec. off Moss pole time in his beautiful Vanwall.

 

She was a special person, the first of a few ladies that were brave enough to try themselves among the best drivers of the world, competing in WDC...

 

R.I.P. Maria Teresa, Hope you are now in the best place...

[Victor]

Divina never qualified to race in a World Championship Grand Prix.

I thought that by "members of a very exclusive club" you meant F1 female drivers. Divina Galica was 12th at the 1977 F1 Race of Champions.

Nevertheless it is irrelevant, this moment is to remember Maria Teresa.

[D-Type]

Another ikon gone.

My condolences to her husband , family. and friends.

[cpbell]

R.I.P.  I know her F1 attempts weren't particularly successful, but, given the demands and hazards of the era, anyone who attempted to compete in F1 in the '50s should be greatly respected.  Add-on the social attitudes of the time, and it makes her (and her predecessors) most remarkable.

[Richard Jenkins]

It's also worth pointing out that Maria Teresa was the last surviving Italian Grand Prix driver from the 1950's. All of those chaps (and chapess) are now gone.

[jj2728]

Sad news once again....

RIP

[eldougo]

What a great women and we respect the role you made to your sport.

 

RIP...the first Lady of F1

Edited by eldougo, 10 January 2016 - 20:58.

[raceannouncer2003]

I am very sorry to hear this.  One of my greatest thrills was meeting her at the 2008 Monaco Historique.  We were able to communicate with my "regrettable French"  She kindly signed my cover of the Sound Stories recording of the 1959 Monaco GP, on which she is interviewed.  She apologized for having such a long name.  You can see the record cover in the photo below.  We listened to this recording repeatedly when I was in my early teens.  I will treasure it.

 

 

Ralf, thanks for the link to the video...wow.

 

Vince H.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 10 January 2016 - 06:31.

[Boniver]

Her brother Luigi, race also in 1950 with Maserati,

 

is he still in life?

[LotusElise]

Another of the grandes dames of motor racing is no longer with us. One of my best Goodwood FoS memories ever was seeing her drive a Maserati up the hill.

 

Sincere condolences to Theo and their family.

[Repco22]

I am very sorry to hear this.  One of my greatest thrills was meeting her at the 2008 Monaco Historique.  We were able to communicate with my "regrettable French"  She kindly signed my cover of the Sound Stories recording of the 1959 Monaco GP, on which she is interviewed.  She apologized for having such a long name.  You can see the record cover in the photo below.  We listened to this recording repeatedly when I was in my early teens.  I will treasure it.

 

 

Ralf, thanks for the link to the video...wow.

 

Vince H.

Sad to hear of her passing. I've also treasured this record since a teenager and admired her efforts in the lovely 250F in the best of times.

RIP Maria Teresa.

[opplock]

Very sad news.

 

The Times published an almost excellent 3/4 page obituary today. It was sadly marred by two howlers. Fangio's achievements in 1957 deserve high praise indeed if he was driving a 2-litre Maserati 250F. In 1958 the 250F was not competitive against "the rear-engined Vanwalls, Coopers and BRMs". The rear-engined Vanwalls and BRMs are news to me - I suspect also to Moss, Brooks and several generations of historians.