6) Michela Cerruti
The popular Michela Cerruti became the first female driver to win a race in the Auto GP World Series at Imola in front of her home fans, and took two other podium finishes in a very strong and consistent season.
Cerruti made sporadic appearances in 2013 for MLR71 in Auto GP but stepped up full time in 2014 with Super Nova International, and with great success. She was never out of the points aside from race one in Austria, and took her first podium finish during race one at Monza.
It became even better for Cerruti in race two at Imola, when, starting fourth on the grid, she became the first female racer in the modern era to win a race in a high-power open-wheel car in Europe, to the delight of her home fans and to many around the world.
She returned to the podium in race two at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, making up for her race one retirement, and concluded her own season at the Nurburgring with two more top six finishes. Unfortunately a back injury ruled her out of the season finale in Portugal, but she had done enough to see her finish sixth in the championship standings.
She has already signed up to the inaugural Formula E Championship, and things are looking bright for Cerruti. Should she return to Auto GP in 2015, there is a big possibility that she’ll take what she’s learned in 2014 and have a stronger season than this year. The talent is there.
