The New F Tributo Special Editions By Maserati Honor The First Female F1 Driver

If you've been keeping up with Formula One this year, you'll know that, just like last year and every year since the late 1970s, there are now no female drivers in the sport. The new F Tributo Special Edition Ghibli sedan and Levante SUV were created by Maserati to honor one of the few women who have broken into the sport's male-dominated arena.

Maria Teresa de Filippis, an Italian driver, is being honored by Maserati since she was the first woman to compete in an F1 race. Select the Arancio Devil-coloured Levante F Tributo and you'll see that it rides on 21-inch Antea wheels. If you're looking for a Ghibli in that color, it rolls on 21-inch Titanos.

Also available for purchase is a Grigio Lamiera version of both vehicles, which has a different set of wheels finished in a glossy black and an orange color scheme in place of the blue accents. Full-grain leather in either black or orange, with matching cobalt blue and orange stitching, is available to compliment any of these color palettes.

In the late 1940s, De Filippis began her motorsport career behind the wheel of a Fiat 500 Topolino. After winning her first race, she caught the attention of Maserati, which signed her up to compete in sports cars and hill climb events, such as the Targa Florio, where she finished ninth overall and fourth in class while driving a Maserati A6GCS.

After racking up some impressive performances, de Filippis was given a ride in an F1 vehicle and made her debut in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix at the wheel of a 250F, the same car that Fangio had used to win the F1 driver's championship the year before.

However, de Filippis was unable to qualify for the event and, although she competed in five F1 races in the late 1950s, she came away with neither a trophy nor any points. After that, it would be another 15 years until a female driver would compete in a championship race in Formula One. 

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