17 Mar 2026

Maserati Hosts Women’s Drive Summit Celebrating Female Icons in Motorsport Past and Present

Marking the centenary of Maria Teresa de Filippis’ birth and 100 years of the Trident, celebrating the racing heritage that continues to fuel Maserati’s innovation.

Marking the centenary of Maria Teresa de Filippis’ birth and 100 years of the Trident, celebrating the racing heritage that continues to fuel Maserati’s innovation.


Goodwood Motor Circuit, UK - 17th March - In celebration of a century defined by speed, audacity and innovation, last Thursday Maserati honoured the women shaping motorsport history with the inaugural Women’s Drive Summit. The exclusive gathering paid tribute to Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix, who famously competed behind the wheel of the legendary Maserati 250F, in the year that also would have marked her 100th birthday.

Set against the appropriately historic backdrop of Goodwood Motor Circuit, the Women’s Drive Summit paid tribute to Maria by welcoming an all-female guest list of pioneering figures from across the motorsport and wider automotive industry. Guests were invited to drive and be driven around the iconic circuit in a stunning line-up of current Maserati models, including the famous MCPura, on the very track that was the centre of British motor racing between 1948 and 1966.

An all-female team of professional racing drivers accompanied guests on the track in some of the brand’s most exhilarating contemporary models, including the GranTurismo Trofeo, the GranCabrio Trofeo, the Grecale Trofeo and the MCPura. Track side, a striking display of the Maserati MCXtrema underscored the marque’s relentless pursuit of performance at its highest expression.

The Women’s Drive Summit also forms part of Maserati’s wider centenary celebrations in 2026, marking 100 years since the brand’s debut at the Targa Florio, the moment the Maserati Tipo 26, the first car to wear the Trident, took to the road and won its class. This anniversary honours Maserati’s motorsport origins and its century‑long evolution in performance, innovation and luxury craftsmanship.

A tribute also honoured Maria Teresa de Filippis, born in 1926 in Naples, whose early racing successes in the late 1940s ignited a pioneering motorsport career. In 1958, driving a private Maserati 250F, she became the first woman to race in a Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix - a milestone that reflects the bold, boundary‑breaking spirit at the heart of Maserati.

Mariangela Del Vecchio, Managing Director, Maserati North Europe said, “Maria Teresa de Filippis’ story is defined by passion and audacity and to this day, even in memory, she continues to embody the values of Maserati and inspire women in the world of motorsport. We are proud to honour her influence and legacy as a pioneer while also celebrating the extraordinary women who continue to shape the automotive world today.”

The Women’s Drive Summit reflects the ongoing commitment that Maserati has embraced for several years to promote inclusion and belonging across every area of the company, where the presence of women in key positions is increasing. A further step forward was taken in 2025 with the introduction of the Maserati Women’s Business Resource Group  (BRG Donna), an internal community created to enhance female talent and support professional development in an open, international, and multicultural environment.

Honouring its unrivalled heritage, Maserati continues to elevate its motorsport credentials through Maserati GT2, which has marked the brand’s return to competition in closed‑wheel racing.  In this arena, the Trident boldly showcases the engineering excellence and performance DNA that define Maserati. This competitive platform reinforces Brand’s commitment to innovation across both road‑going and track‑focused vehicles.

For a century, Maserati has stood at the forefront of automotive craftsmanship and performance innovation. As it enters its next century, the Trident looks not only to its illustrious past in both road and race, but to a future driven by inclusivity, technical excellence, and uncompromising luxury.


MCPURA

An evolution of the iconic MC20 halo car, the MCPura represents the new frontier of super sports cars, elevating its predecessor to an even higher level of performance and uniqueness. Available in coupé and cabrio versions, it stands out for four exclusive features: the carbon fiber monocoque, the iconic Nettuno engine, a 100% Maserati-developed V6 featuring a patented pre-chamber combustion system derived from Formula 1, the “Butterfly” doors, and – on the Cielo – the retractable electrochromic glass roof.

Thanks to the 630 hp delivered, the car achieves a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 2.33 kg/hp, blending extraordinary performance with extreme elegance and artisanal mastery. It is the purest embodiment of Maserati’s authentic values, the epitome of Italian luxury worldwide.


GranTurismo Trofeo

The GranTurismo combines the driving performance of a sports car with luxurious comfort suitable for long-distance drives. Designed and developed at the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena, the GranTurismo is 100% Made in Italy and epitomizes Italian luxury and performance.

Its advanced architecture readily accepts both internal combustion (ICE) and fully electric (BEV) drivetrains with virtually no change to the vehicle’s core design, something that is unique in the BEV space. This allows customers the luxury of choice with the Trofeo ICE GranTurismo variant featuring the powerhouse 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 Nettuno engine, which utilizes pre-chamber combustion technology derived from Formula One.


GranCabrio Trofeo

The GranCabrio stands as the purest expression of open‑air grand touring, bringing together Maserati’s hallmark Italian elegance with advanced performance and state‑of‑the‑art engineering. Developed alongside the GranTurismo on a lightweight multi‑material architecture, it offers dynamic capability and refined comfort in equal measure. With a choice between the high‑performance V6 Nettuno engine featuring patented pre‑chamber technology and the fully electric Folgore system delivering instant torque and smooth, silent power, GranCabrio provides a truly modern interpretation of grand touring freedom.

The GranCabrio delivers an unparalleled convertible experience defined by performance, beauty and emotion, offering a compelling combination of luxury and exhilaration with the roof up or down.


Grecale Trofeo

The Grecale embodies the concepts of innovation, versatility and luxury: it is a best-in-class SUV in terms of spaciousness and comfort. The new Maserati SUV is available in the GT version, equipped with a four-cylinder mild hybrid engine capable of 300 hp, in the Modena with a four-cylinder 330-hp mild hybrid engine, and in the high-performance Trofeo with a powerful 530-hp V6 with a maximum speed capability of 177 mph. The Grecale Trofeo represents pure adrenaline, where the car’s disruptive performance becomes the perfect tool to take up your very own personal challenge.


MCXtrema

Referred to as ‘The Beast of Modena’ and powered by a formidable 730-horsepower V6 three-litre twin-turbo Nettuno race engine. A track-only creation, it epitomises the Italian luxury brand’s racing heritage. Limited to just 62 units worldwide, it has been honed to dominate circuits with precision, power, and elegance, through a perfect blend of cutting-edge racing technology and Italian craftsmanship.

 

Notes to Editor

Maserati S.p.A.
Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars that are immediately recognizable by their extraordinary personality. With style, technology and an innate exclusivity, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and refined tastes, always setting a benchmark in the global automotive industry. A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance and safety, currently available in more than 70 markets internationally.

The Maserati line-up includes the Grecale SUV; GranTurismo, the iconic Italian grand tourer; and GranCabrio, the Trident's new convertible; all models characterized by the use of the highest quality materials and outstanding technical solutions. A range equipped with 4-cylinder hybrid powertrains, available for Grecale, and V6 petrol with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, embodying the performance DNA of the Trident Brand. GranTurismo is available with both the high-performance V6 petrol engine and a 100% electric version, the GranTurismo Folgore, the first car in the Modena-based brand's history to adopt this solution. The full-electric range also includes Grecale Folgore and GranCabrio Folgore. The top of the Brand's range is the MC family, which consists of the MCPURA coupe and its MCPURA Cielo convertible version, powered by the innovative V6 Nettuno engine, 100% Maserati, which incorporates F1-derived technologies into the power unit of a standard production car. Completing the Brand's commercial offering is the Maserati GT2 Stradale, the road-legal version of the GT2, which brought Maserati back to the track in covered-wheel championships, while Maserati MCXtrema is the limited series of only 62 units, a track-only homologated racing car that pushes Trident performance to the highest level and is dedicated to racing car enthusiasts.

Maserati's mission is to write the future of mobility in the luxury segment by focusing on its customers’ requests. In order to achieve this mission, the Brand is also strongly focused on the Maserati Fuoriserie customization program, the Maserati Classiche activities, and the intensive Maserati Corse racing program.

 

For further information:
MASERATI

Andrea Pallard, Maserati Global Communications - andrea.pallard@stellantis.com
Maserati UK Press Office - maseratipressoffice@performancecomms.com

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