The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix saw Lella Lombardi become the only woman to score World Championship points, while a fatal crash cut the race short at 29 laps.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Jochen Mass (McLaren M23)
- Laps completed
- 29 of 75 scheduled
- Race distance
- 109 km
- Deaths caused by crash
- 4 (spectator, fireman, two journalists)
- Points scored by Lombardi
- 0.5 (half points, race stopped early)
- Championship round
- Race 4 of 14, 1975 season
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Montjuïc Circuit street race proceeded despite safety concerns. During the race, Rolf Stommelen's Hill GH1 suffered a mechanical failure, causing him to crash into a spectator area and strike four bystanders — a spectator, a fireman, and two journalists — killing all four.
Held on 27 April 1975, the race was stopped after 29 of 75 laps due to the fatal accident, making it the first Formula One race stopped before 60% completion. Jochen Mass won in a McLaren M23, with Jacky Ickx second and Carlos Reutemann third. Lella Lombardi scored half a point, the first and only woman to score World Championship points.
The deaths led to the Montjuïc Circuit being permanently dropped from the Formula One calendar; it was never used again. Half-points were awarded for the first time in F1 history. The race remained the last German driver win until Michael Schumacher's victory at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, a gap of 17 years.