We update with you sad news this morning that Marussia F1 Team test driver Maria de Villota has lost her right eye following a testing accident at Duxford Airefield in Cambridgeshire, UK, on Tuesday.
In an official statement John Booth, Team Principal of the Marussia F1 Team, explained: “Maria emerged from theatre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital this morning after a lengthy operation to address the serious head and facial injuries she received in the accident at Duxford Airfield yesterday.
“We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving and her family would like to thank the Neurological and Plastics surgical teams. However it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.
“Maria’s care and the wellbeing of her family remain our priority at this time. Her family are at the hospital and we are doing everything possible to support them.”
De Villota’s car made impact with a team truck at relatively low speed. The cause of the accident is yet to be confirmed, but speculation suggests the MR-01’s anti-stall device may have cut in as de Villota was coasting to a halt, causing the car to lunge forward.
“With regard to the accident, we have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened and this work continues for the moment,” Booth said.
Our thoughts are Maria de Villota and her family, as well as the Marussia F1 Team who will bring heavy hearts to this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
[Source: Marussia F1 Team]
6 replies on “Our thoughts with Maria de Villota”
That sucks… What a tragic way to hurt herself… Gut wrenching…
[…] sad news Just when I thought there's an incentive for women in F1, we get this: http://www.ausmotive.com/2012/07/05/…e-villota.html Test driving is dangerous, but this sounds quite serious in terms of safety… If you […]
Very sad news. Wishing her well for a speedy recovery.
I agree, hope she recovers well and that she has a good bunch of family and close friends who can support her.
Maybe it’s time for somebody to experiment with adding an ejectable canopy screen like a fighter plane has onto an F1 car?? Being in a closed cockpit certainly helped Allan McNish at Le Mans last year, would have helped Anthony Davidson this year if his car landed the other way up and could well have saved Dan Wheldon’s life last year when his head went into the fence.
[…] Marussia F1 Team has completed its investigation into the cause of the Maria de Villota accident and has ruled out a technical fault with the car. The 32-year-old continues to recover from the […]
[…] July last year de Villota was involved in a serious accident while testing for Marussia at Duxford Aerodrome in England. She lost her right as a result of her […]