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FILM REVIEW BEYOND DRIVEN
“Her name has been undervalued, in a way, because the silence from 1992 up to today is very embarrassing,” says Patrizia Lombardi of the legacy left by her auntie and ex-formula 1 racer Lella – so far the only woman to score a world championship
(half) point – at the start of Beyond Driven.
Since Giovanni Amati failed to qualify for the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix aboard her Brabham BT60B, female driver representation in the topflight has been limited to fleeting test and practice session appearances.
As well as the absence of a definitive succession of female F1 driver role models, Lombardi’s glass ceiling-smashing achievement has also been masked to a degree by the other events surrounding her rise aboard a March 751 from 24th to sixth in the 1975 Spanish GP. Namely, the threat of a boycott – with reigning champion Emerson Fittipaldi electing to miss the Montjuic race – owing to the poor installation of the barriers, and the failure of Rolf Stommelen’s rear wing on his Hill GH1, which resulted in his crashing and the death of five spectators.
These factors are the inspiration behind the 75-minute documentary Beyond Driven. At the time of its production – the tail end of 2019 – there had been 774 F1 drivers, only five of which were female.
Using interviews with Amati, Alice Powell, Tatiana Calderon, Beitske Visser, Carmen Jorda, Vicky Piria and the Al Qubaisi sisters, Beyond Driven seeks to both tell the career of Lombardi and assess the hurdles to greater female participation in motorsport.
By extension, it’s aimed at a general audience and not diehard motorsport fans – who might find the hand-holding throughout a touch excessive.
Even with that excused, it’s far from a flawless presentation. The account of Lombardi’s career retold via exaggerated cartoons spliced liberally between choppy jumps from the present day back to the 1970s won’t be to everyone’s taste. Nor will the frustrating sound editing – those engine notes and gearshifts don’t match what’s on screen!
This is, of course, to miss the point of Beyond Driven. It brings together in complete fashion the trials and tribulations of an often-unbalanced media presentation – Amati says she enjoyed her junior career far more than her time in F1 for this reason – the battle to chase sponsors and funding, plus the withering attitudes of many male competitors.
The split identity of Beyond Driven means it would benefit from a longer running time. There are staggering snippets from Lombardi’s life, including the village priest telling her to effectively come to her senses and chase stereotypical female hobbies instead.
But the hasty pace of the documentary gives a sense that the audience is missing out on a load more detail about this fascinating character, as it changes tack to contemporary onboard footage.
After a quick wrap-up of Lombardi’s later sportscar success, including winning both six-hour races at Pergusa and Vallelunga in 1979, and her death at the age of 50 owing to breast cancer, Beyond Driven also touches upon the founding of W Series.
Here is where it all comes together best, and frames the debate perfectly. The creation of the female-only championship is not about segregation or positive discrimination. It’s about providing opportunity.
As a motorsport documentary, there’s more to be desired. But as a political narrative, its chief aim, Beyond Driven is an important watch and its existence should be celebrated.