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Madrid, October 11, 2012.- A hundred days after
the accident that almost took her life,
María de Villota has made her first
appearance before the media. Only in Spanish.
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Contact: E-Mail
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2:43
Maria de Villota became the first female involved
in F1
1:45
Accident
4:40
Maria de Villota - Marussia F1 test driver
explaining the steering wheel of the car. Very
interesting even if you don't understand
Spanish.
Profile
Born:1/13/80
From: Madrid, Spain
Daughter of ex F1 driver and British F1
Champion, Emilio de Villota.
Holds a Bachelors Degree in Sports Science from
the European University of Madrid.
Has a senior position in the Emilio de Villota
Racing Drivers school.
2009: Maria was awarded the “Silvestro del
año” for best sportswoman in Madrid,
presented by the Mayor of Madrid, Mr
Gallardón.
2010: Maria was awarded the “Siete
Estrellas de la Comunidad de Madrid” (the
Seven Star Award of the Community of Madrid) as the
best sportswoman, presented by the President of the
Community of Madrid, Mrs Aguirre.
Guest of Honour at the Grand Prix of Spain and
Europe 2009 by Telefonica and Banco Santander.
Ambassador for Atlético Madrid
Foundation.
Ambassador for Women's Bureau of the Madrid
Regional Community.
Snippets
Felipe Massa and F1 stars show support for
Maria de Villota. 
* * *
F1 driver Maria de Villota loses eye after crash
* * *
Formula One test driver Maria de Villota
has been seriously injured after her racing car
collided with a team vehicle at an airfield in
southern England.
News
Felipe Massa and F1 stars
show support for Maria de Villota
(http://bit.ly/NbLnmY)
The Brazilian Ferrari driver, who was involved in
an F1 accident in 2009, offered his support after
the female test driver lost her right eye in a
horror crash on Tuesday
Formula 1 stars have expressed their shock and
support for test driver Maria de Villota, who lost
her right eye in a horror crash on Tuesday.
Ferrari ace Fernando Alonso said he had been
left “completely shocked” by the
accident, which left the Marussia team member
fighting for life with serious head and facial
injuries.
The 32-year-old remains in a critical but stable
condition in hospital after smashing into a lorry
during a test at Duxford Airfield.
Fellow Spaniard Alonso said: “Obviously we
are all very worried about the situation and are
waiting for more news.
"We don't know the situation but it is difficult
to imagine how this can happen."
Fellow Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who was
involved in an F1 accident during qualifying for
the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009, also offered his
support.
The Brazilian was injured when a suspension
spring fell from Rubens Barrichello’s car and
struck him on the helmet, causing him to crash
head-on into a tyre barrier.
Massa was airlifted to hospital and underwent
emergency surgery on his left eye and now has a
titanium plate in his skull.
Speaking after Villota’s similar accident,
he said: “She has my full support because I've
been in a similar position. Thank God nothing
happened to me.
"I really hope everything will be OK for her and
for her to live her life in the way she
deserves.
"My accident happened on track so it's
different. The most important thing is that the FIA
understands what happened.
“We need to make it the maximum safe we
can. She has all my positive thoughts that
everything will be OK."
Villota, who joined Marussia as a test driver in
March, has also received an outpour of support from
fellow F1 drivers on Twitter.
McLaren star Lewis Hamilton tweeted: “Just
heard about Maria's terrible accident at Duxford. I
hope she pulls through.
“My thoughts and prayers are with her
family at this time.”
He later added: “"I don't know her
personally but when I read about it I was
absolutely devastated for her and her family,
absolutely tragic.
“The team and I send our wishes to her and
hope she has a speedy recovery."
Teammate Jenson Button also posted:
“Terrible accident For Maria de Villota,
Marussia F1 team test driver.
“My thoughts are with Maria and her family
at this very difficult time.”
Villota’s sister, mother and father, former
F1 driver Emilio de Villota, are keeping a vigil at
her bedside at Addenbrooke’s hospital in
Cambridge.
No further update has been released on her
condition, but sister Isabel released a statement
saying the family had been overwhelmed by the
messages of goodwill.
She said: "We have at least been able to take
encouragement from the fact Maria has remained
stable throughout since the accident, particularly
during the first night following such a lengthy
surgical procedure as she experienced.
"We, the family, are supporting each other at
Maria's side and we take great comfort from the
remarkable medical care she has been receiving.
"We remain positive, and this is due in no small
part, to the overwhelming expression of love and
support for Maria from every corner of the
world.
"We would also wish to thank everyone at
Marussia for all the care and attention they have
shown us over the past few days."
Marussia are continuing to investigate the cause
of Tuesday’s horror crash, which saw Villota
crash into the tail lift of a support truck.
Following the accident, the chairman of the
Grand Prix Drivers' Association, HRT driver Pedro
de la Rosa, said: "We will put the facts on the
table to see if there is anything we need to change
to improve.
"When an accident happens, it means that
something didn't work properly.
"We need to make sure, between the FIA, the
teams and the GPDA, that we make changes for the
future because it's not good enough.
"The first thing we need to do is understand
what happened, what safety measures were taken and
how the airfield was prepared for Formula One
testing."
Source: www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1/maria-de-villota-crash-felipe-1134699
F1 driver Maria de Villota
loses eye after crash
Marussia, the Formula One team of Spanish race car
driver Maria de Villota, is reporting that its
32-year-old driver has lost her right eye and
remains hospitalized following a bizarre accident
at a test event earlier this week. Teammates have
described her condition as critical but stable.
After joining the team in March, De Villota was
behind the wheel of the team's racing car for the
first time on Tuesday, conducting straight-line
test runs at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire,
north of London. The Spaniard apparently crashed
into a team vehicle (reported as racecar transport
truck) at the end of a run at low speeds, but her
head took the brunt of the impact - explaining the
serious injuries to her head and face.
Maria de Villota is the F1's first full-time
female driver since Italy's Giovanna Amati drove
for the Brabham team in 1992. The team principal,
John Booth, has already announced that a
comprehensive investigation is under way to
determine why her car suddenly accelerated as she
was slowing to complete the test.
Source: www.autoblog.com/2012/07/05/f1-driver-maria-de-villota-loses-eye-after-crash/#continued
F1: Female Test
Driver Seriously Injured In Crash
Formula One test driver Maria de Villota has been
seriously injured after her racing car collided
with a team vehicle at an airfield in southern
England.
Female Formula One test driver Maria de Villota
was in a hospital with life-threatening injuries
after a collision with a team vehicle during a
testing session at an airfield in southern England
on Tuesday.
De Villota's team, Marussia F1, said her car hit
the team support truck at the end of her first run
at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire at 0815 GMT.
It was the first time the 32-year-old Spanish
driver, who joined the team this season, tested the
MR-01 car.
An ambulance spokesman said the injuries were
life-threatening and De Villota was treated by
paramedics at the scene before being moved to the
nearby Addenbrookes Hospital.
Marussia confirmed De Villota's crash in a
statement on its website.
"The accident happened at the end of her first
installation run and involved an impact with the
team's support truck," Marussia said. "Maria has
been transferred to hospital. Once her medical
condition has been assessed a further statement
will be issued."
De Villota is the daughter of former F1 driver
Emilio de Villota and joined Marussia as a test
driver at the start of this season, becoming the
sport's first full-time female driver since Italian
Giovanna Amati with the Brabham team in 1992.
De Villota had previously tested for Renault and
had racing experience in Spanish F3 and the Daytona
24-Hours.
The Russian-owned team started in Formula One as
Virgin Racing in 2010 and rebranded as Marussia for
the start of the current season. It has yet to pick
up a point this year ahead of this weekend's
British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Its race drivers are Timo Glock of Germany and
Charles Pic of France.
Source: formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-female-test-driver-seriously-injured-in-crash/
F1
Marussia driver Maria de Villota in Duxford
crash
A Formula 1 test driver has suffered
life-threatening injuries in a crash during testing
in Cambridgeshire.
Maria de Villota was hurt while driving an MR-01
race car for the first time for the
Oxfordshire-based Marussia team at Duxford
airfield.
The car hit a Marussia support truck which had
been used to transport it to the track.
The East of England Ambulance Service said the
Spaniard, 32, had been taken to Addenbrooke's
Hospital in Cambridge.
Emergency medical charity Magpas, which helped
to treat De Villota at the scene, said she had
suffered "facial and head injuries" and was in a
stable condition on her arrival at hospital.
BBC Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who
witnessed the crash, said the car was slowing down
when it "suddenly accelerated" into the back of the
lorry.
"The top of her car and her helmet seemed to
take the brunt of it," he added.
"She didn't move for about 15 minutes.
"It was an absolutely awful moment. I was
surrounded by people that knew her very well,
including family, friends, engineers, and her
manager."
He said De Villota had been driving at up to
200mph during the testing, but the car was
travelling considerably slower at the time of the
crash.
Analysis
Formula 1 cars are extremely challenging
machines and can require significant skills and
experience even to control in a straight line, but
Maria de Villota is exactly the kind of competent
racing driver typically asked to conduct this sort
of test.
Extremely unlikely ever to qualify as a
fully-fledged Grand Prix driver, she has raced
solidly since 2001 in various lower categories and
last summer completed a test for the Renault F1
team at a race track in France.
Crashes are not unknown at straight-line tests,
but the circumstances surrounding this one sound
especially unusual and it would be unwise to
speculate what caused it before a full
investigation is undertaken.
First run
A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said they were
notified by the ambulance service "of a slow-speed
crash involving a racing car and a lorry".
He added: "It looks like the driver has suffered
a serious injury and we will be notifying the
Health and Safety Executive as it happened on
private land."
East of England Ambulance Service spokesman Gary
Sanderson said: "A woman has sustained
life-threatening injuries and following treatment
at the scene by paramedics, she has been taken to
Addenbrooke's Hospital for further care."
The crash happened at the start of two days of
Formula 1 testing at the site.
Minutes before, Marussia driver Timo Glock said
on Twitter: "Great to see @mariovillota in the car
with the new update. Make it quick."
In a statement, Marussia said: "At approximately
09.15hrs BST, the Marussia F1 Team's test driver
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."
Former F1 champions are among the hundreds of
people to have wished De Villota well on
Twitter.
Ferrari driver and fellow Spaniard Fernando
Alonso said: "I just got home and found out Maria's
accident, we called the family and hopefully we
will know more soon! All my energy with you!"
Jenson Button said: "Terrible accident for Maria
de Villota, Marussia F1 team test driver.
"My thoughts are with Maria and her family at
this very difficult time."
Marussia entered the sport under the name Virgin
in 2010, backed by businessman Richard Branson.
Russian car company Marussia acquired a
controlling stake in the team toward the end of
2011.
In 2012, the team rebranded as Marussia, and
drafted in Charles Pic to race alongside Timo
Glock.
The team has not scored any points so far this
season.
Earlier, Marussia said on Twitter:
"@mariavillota had her final seat-fitting &
pedal test at our Banbury HQ & then headed
north to the Imperial War Museum, ready to do
battle."
On Friday, it tweeted that De Villota "had been
waiting patiently all year" for the Duxford test
day.
When she was unveiled as a test driver for
Marussia in March, she said: "This is a fantastic
opportunity to work closely with a Formula 1 team
and gain important experience to help me progress
my career, including the chance to drive the new
car later in the year at the Abu Dhabi test."
She added that the move "can only help my future
ambition to step up to F1 racing".
On Monday she wrote on Twitter: "In Banbury,
getting ready for tomorrow test. Can't wait."
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06 Jan 2012 DRIVERS AND TEAMS
Results
2011: 1st Test in Formula 1, Paul
Ricard.
Atletico Madrid Driver in Superleague .
2010: Atletico Madrid, Superleague Formula.
Best result 4th possition ( Nürburgring)
2009: Atletico Madrid, Superleague Formula.
Best result 7th (Jarama)
2008: Euroseries 3000 Best result 7th
possition (Spa)
2007: Spanish GT Championships (2007) Best
result, 4th possition ( Estoril)
World Touring Car Championship (2006-2007)
Chevrolet official driver
2005-2006: Spanish F3, Best result 3rd
position (Jarama)
Ferrari European Challenge. Pole position Ferrari
World Finals (Mugello)
2004: 24H DAYTONA, Gt class (Ferrari Modena,
10th possition)
2002-2005: Spanish F3 (2002-2005) Best
result, 4th possition (Jerez)
2001: Spanish Formula Toyota 1300. Best
result, 1st possition (Albacete, Valencia). 2nd
Overall.
1996-2023: Go karts (First race, first
win)
Schedule
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