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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

de Villota Crash Update - Our thoughts are with her, her family, and the Marussia team


After this mornings shocking news that Maria de Villota Marussia Formula 1 test driver had crashed into a stationary lorry at Duxford Imperial War Museum little information as to the extent of her injuries has been confirmed.

What is known has been gleaned from the media eye-witnesses on site, BBC Cambridge's Chris Mann & Sky Sports F1 assistant producer, Helen Brown.

Chris Mann said in his report that de Villota had completed one installation run, as part of its two day straight line test of new parts for Silverstone this weekend, and was returning to the "pit" area when it "suddenly accelerated" into the back of the lorry.  He said that from where he was standing it looked as if the helmet had taken the brunt of the impact.

Helen Brown said to Sky Sports News that the were asked to leave the site 20 minutes after the accident had happened and de Villota was still in the car.

The BBC news website has reported quotes from both Cambridgeshire Police and the emergency services:


A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: "We were notified by the ambulance service of a slow-speed crash involving a racing car and a lorry.
"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."

This was de Villota's first F1 drive in the Marussia MR-01.  All of the major F1 sites are covering the story, however no new information has yet been issued.


Our thoughts are with her, her family, and the Marussia team.