Strong results in other series’ led to Mouton earning a surprise Audi factory team drive for 1981. A career best finish up to that point of fourth came at that year’s Rally Portugal, though she would take her maiden WRC victory later in the year, besting Henri Toivonen and Ari Vatanen for the win. 1982 was a career-best season for Mouton, finishing second in that year’s championship to Walter Röhrl by 12 points, taking four wins along the way. Her results helped Audi claim its first WRC manufacturers’ title.
Part-time rally competition followed before she began to focus on making an impact in motor sport out of the car. She founded the Race of Champions in memory of rival Henri Toivonen. She later became FIA president of the Women & Motor Sport Commission and the FIA’s manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011. In the former of her roles, the commission has founded the Girls on Track -Rising Stars karting initiative, aimed at increasing the number of young girls racing in motor sport.
Nelson Piquet
The second Brazilian world champion in F1, Nelson Piquet is one of only 10 drivers to have won three titles. With 23 race victories to his name along with 24 pole positions and 60 podiums, Piquet is rated as one of the all-time great champions in Formula 1 history. His career began in Brazilian karting where he’d secure the national championship before moving to Europe and competing in Formula 3. He broke Jackie Stewart’s record for wins in a season during 1978 and F1 came calling the following year.