First female Formula One driver Maria Teresa de Filippis dies

Omnisports 02:14 - 09 January 2016

___4540179___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___4540179___2016___1___9___18___formulaonecropped_13lkcfgre7n631rttencbyx3uu

Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis has been described as an "incredible" woman after the first female Formula One driver died aged 89.

Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first female Formula One driver, has died at the age of 89.

De Filippis made history when she was on the grid for three grand prixs in 1958, finishing 10th at Spa but failing to go the distance in the other two races.

The Italian had missed out on qualification for the Monaco Grand Prix earlier that year in her Maserati 250F, then also failed to qualify when driving for Porsche a year later.

De Filippis opted to quit the sport after Jean Behra died in a crash while driving his Ferrari in the German Grand Prix in Berlin later that year.

When revealing that De Filippis had passed away on Saturday, a tweet from the official F1 account described her as an "incredible woman".