Female F1 driver De Villota conscious after test crash

By Unknown - Jul 3, 2012

Female Formula One driver Maria de Villota is conscious after suffering "severe facial and head injuries" in a crash during a test event on Tuesday. The Spanish racer, one of only two female drivers involved in the sport, was in Britain driving the Marussia team's MR-01 car for the first time when she struck a stationary truck.

Emergency medical charity Magpas confirmed it had treated a woman in her 30s after a slow-speed Formula One crash at Duxford in the county of Cambridgeshire. A later statement from Marussia confirmed De Villota had received hospital treatment and the tests were still being conducted on her at Addenbrookes Hospital.

"Since Maria's arrival at the hospital at approximately 1045 BST, she has been receiving the best medical attention possible at the hospital, which is the region's major trauma centre," said the Russian-owned team.

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"Maria is conscious and medical assessments are ongoing. The team will await the outcome of these assessments before providing further comment.

"The team's first priority at this time is Maria and her family."

Earlier in the day, Marussia had said: "At approximately 0915 this morning, Maria De Villota had an accident in the team's MR-01 race car at Duxford Airfield where she was testing the car for the first time.

"The accident happened at the end of her first installation run and involved an impact with the team's support truck. Maria has been transferred to hospital. Once her medical condition has been assessed a further statement will be issued."

The 32-year-old Spaniard joined Britain-based Marussia in July, after a career which had included spells in Spanish Formula Three, the Euroseries 3000 and the Daytona 24 Hours. The Madrid-born racer is the daughter of former March team Formula One driver Emilio de Villota.

De Villota made her debut behind the wheel of an F1 car when testing for Lotus Renault in August 2011. The only other female driver currently contracted in the elite division of motorsport is Britain's Susie Wolff, who is a development driver with Williams.