Lilou Wadoux, the first official female driver in Ferrari's GT program, made motor sport history by becoming the first woman to win a FIA WEC round.
The #83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari won the LMGTE Am class at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday. The trio of Luis Perez Companc, Lilou Wadoux and Alessio Rovera dominated the class and crossed the finish line 18 seconds ahead of the Corvette Racing Chevrolet.
Lilou Wadoux thus became the first female driver to win in the FIA WEC. "I am super happy that we signed a result like this," said the 22-year-old Frenchwoman. "In Portimão, we came close to winning (2nd at 0"260 from the winner). It also proves that we are ready to fight for the championship. It promises great things for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the rest of the season."
The lady from Amiens was keen to praise the performance of her teammates, who started and finished the race. "We started in Slicks, it was quite dangerous and we saw it well from the warm-up laps. Luis (Perez Companc) did a great job. During his two stints, he was in the best ones and he gave me the car in a good position and that's really nice (...) When I arrived in the lead and I gave the car back to Alessio (Rovera), I knew that he was going to do the job and that we had a gap. I had no doubt that it was going to happen. When we see the checkered flag, we're a little relieved!"
Lilou more than contributed to the #85 Ferrari's success. It was her who took the lead in LMGTE Am with an authoritative overtake on the #88 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche. The Frenchwoman then managed her efforts perfectly to give Richard Mille AF Corse a lead. "For my first stint, it wasn't necessarily easy. I pushed a little too hard with the cold tires even though, in the end, I was first when I stopped during my first stint. The second stint went pretty well, with a good pace. The car was easy to drive, it was very enjoyable."
In the long history of women drivers in motorsport, Lilou Wadoux joins a prestigious line of winners on the world stage. "This is a new part of history. I hope it will make other women, who don't necessarily want to go, want to take the plunge. In the end, we are all capable of doing the same thing, and we are all proving it. We can fight, women and men, behind a wheel."
