Maria Teresa de Filippis was born on 11 November 1926 in Naples. A devoted horsewoman in her teenage years, she accidentally entered the world of motorsport when she won a bet from her two brothers, who questioned her driving skills. She beat them in a 10-kilometre race in a Fiat 500 in 1948, and in the following years she took part in races in the Italian sports car championship. In 1954 she took second place and Maserati included her as a test driver.
On 18 May 1958 she made history by becoming the first woman to compete in a Formula 1 race. She took part in the qualifying round in a Maserati 250F, but failed to make it to the final, as did Britain's Bernie Eckleston, the later Formula 1 strongman. De Filippis competed in four other grands prix, without success. She made her last Formula 1 appearance at the Monaco Grand Prix on 10 May 1959, where in a Behra Porsche RSK she again failed to make the final.
In 1960 she married and devoted herself to her family, occasionally competing in motor racing. She was vice-president of the Formula 1 veteran drivers and president of the Maserati Club.
Maria Teresa de Filippis died on 9 January 2016, aged 89.
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