Women on Wheels: Spotlight on Giovanna Amati
Italian-born Giovanna Amati was the last female driver - and one of only five, total - to have entered a Formula One world championship.
Born into a moneyed family, Amati’s childhood was a more exciting than most - she was kidnapped for ransom at one point, and bought a Honda motorcycle when she was fifteen years old, then hid it from her parents for two years.
Her professional racing career began in 1981, and over the next four years, she would win several Formula Abarth races before moving up to the Italian Formula Three in 1985, where she would continue her success. In 1987 she moved up again, to Formula 3000, but her best result in six seasons was only a 7th place result in both Europe and Japan.
When Amati landed the second seat slot in the ailing Brabham Formula One team for the 1992 Grand Prix season, it was pretty obvious that money and publicity were the driving factors behind the appointment. She had no experience to speak of in Formula One cars, and all three of her qualifying attempts were unsuccessful. She was subsequently replaced by Damon Hill.
Since 1992, Amati has continued to drive, placing 3rd in the SportsRacing World Cup SR2 class championship in 1999. In addition, she writes columns and does television commentary for Italian motorsports.
