Former Marussia Test Driver Maria de Villota Found Dead in Spain

Maria de Villota, the former racing driver who was seriously injured while testing for MarussiaMaRussiaRussian Federation, 2007 > present4 models
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in July 2012, was found dead in her hotel room in Seville early in the morning on October 11. The cause of death is not yet known.

De Villota was in Seville to give a presentation at a conference called “What Really Matters” on Friday, and she was going to present her book “Life is a Gift” in the city on Monday.

She was born on January 13, 1980, in Madrid, and her father was Emilio de Villota who started in two Formula 1 Grands Prix in 1977 and raced sports cars in the 1980s. Her brother is also a racing driver.

With racing already in the family, Maria climbed the rungs from karts to the Spanish Formula ToyotaToyotaJapan, 1937 > present155 models
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series in 2000. From 2000 to 2005, she also raced in Spanish Formula 3 and did full seasons from 2002 to 2004. She started racing in sports cars and touring cars in 2005 by taking part in the Daytona 24 Hours, European Ferrari Challenge, World Touring Car Championship and Spanish GT.

Her goal was always to race in F1, and she transitioned back to single-seaters and tested for two days in August 2011. In 2012, Marussia hired her as a test driver.

On July 3, 2012, she was doing the first laps of her first test for Marussia at Duxford airfield in the UK. While returning the car to the support team, she lost control and hit the back of the team’s support truck. De Villota was seriously injured and lost her right eye in the accident.

"Before the accident, I only saw Formula 1, inside a car, competing, and I didn't see what was really important in life," she said.

After the accident, she continued to head the Emilio de Villota Driving School and act as a representative for the FIA's Women In Motorsport Commission.

“I had only just taken my helmet off, when I was told about her death and at the moment, I still can’t believe it and need a while to stop and think about it,” said fellow Spanish driver Fernando Alonso when he heard about her death. “Of course, it’s very sad news for the world of motorsport as Maria was loved by everyone. Now, all we can do is pray for her and for her family.”

Source: El Pais