Skip to main content

Marussia F1: Car was not a factor in De Villota crash

updated 11:44 AM EDT, Mon July 16, 2012
Spain's Maria de Villota joined the Marussia team as a test driver in March this year.
Spain's Maria de Villota joined the Marussia team as a test driver in March this year.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Marussia F1 team rules out car as cause of Maria De Villota's crash
  • De Villota lost her right eye following a crash at a test event this month
  • The Spaniard needed two operations after hitting a stationary truck
  • The 32-year-old is one of just two female drivers contracted to an F1 team

(CNN) -- The Marussia Formula One team has ruled out a mechanical fault as the cause of a test crash which resulted in its female driver losing her right eye.

Maria de Villota was left in a serious condition after colliding with a stationary truck during a test event at a British airfield earlier this month, and needed two operations.

The Russian-owned marque has conducted extensive tests of the MR01 car involved in the incident, alongside investigations by British regulator the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and an external forensic body, but concluded a vehicular fault was not to blame.

Webber signs one-year contract extension

Female F1 driver De Villota in profile
Spain's Maria de Villota is the first female driver to join a Formula One team in 20 years. Spain's Maria de Villota is the first female driver to join a Formula One team in 20 years.
Joining the men
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
>
>>
F1 family: The De Villotas F1 family: The De Villotas

"We are satisfied that the findings of our internal investigation exclude the car as a factor in the accident," Marussia team principal John Booth said in a statement.

"We have shared and discussed our findings with the HSE for their consideration as part of their ongoing investigation. This has been a necessarily thorough process in order to understand the cause of the accident.

"We have now concluded our investigatory work and can again focus on the priority, which continues to be Maria's wellbeing. In that regard, we continue to support Maria and the De Villota family in any way we can."

De Villota family touched by support

De Villota, who was driving the MR01 for the first time before the crash, is one of only two female drivers contracted to an F1 team. The other, Britain's Susie Wolff, has a development role at Williams.

The Spaniard's father Emilio de Villota was also an F1 driver between 1976 and 1982.

Marussia will now continue its preparations for this weekend's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, the 10th race of the 2012 season.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
Track the new Formula One season as it progresses, circuit by circuit, race by race.
updated 9:24 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Can the new F1 season live up to last year's standards? Find out the need-to-know stories for 2013.
updated 7:48 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
CNN looks ahead to the Australian Grand Prix, the first F1 race of the 2013 season.
updated 1:24 PM EST, Thu February 28, 2013
Adrian Sutil will be Force India's second driver for the 2013 Formula One season, pledging to make the most of his "second chance".
updated 8:52 PM EST, Fri March 1, 2013
Christmas Abbott, 5'3 and 115 pounds, is the first woman to join a NASCAR pit crew team.
updated 7:35 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
The first race in Melbourne is just around the corner and Formula 1 teams are gearing up for a season which promises to be as technical as it is tactical.
updated 7:19 AM EST, Fri March 1, 2013
When the new Formula 1 season gets underway in March, for the first time there will be a woman running a team's entire operations from track to boardroom.
updated 7:22 AM EST, Mon January 21, 2013
The Dakar Rally is one of the world's most dangerous motorsport races, and this year's edition has already been marred by tragic deaths.
updated 2:20 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
The famous circuit of Nurburgring is confirmed Thursday as the venue for the 2013 German Grand Prix after reaching a deal with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
updated 10:36 AM EST, Tue November 27, 2012
It did not take very long for the inevitable question to be asked -- just how good a driver is Sebastian Vettel?
updated 9:49 AM EST, Thu January 24, 2013
Changes to tires will make Formula 1 racing faster with more overtaking in 2013, according to the sport's official tire supplier Pirelli.
updated 4:35 AM EST, Mon November 26, 2012
Fangio
Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and contemporary pacesetters Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso were all contenders.
updated 8:32 AM EST, Fri November 23, 2012
Who is the greatest F1 driver of all time? Past and present drivers give their verdict on the contenders to CNN.
CNN has asked Formula One stars past and present, "Who is the best driver of all time?" Now we want to hear from you.
updated 4:48 AM EST, Tue November 20, 2012
A triumphant Lewis Hamilton called Sunday's United States Grand Prix the best race of 2012 but for many it was more important than that -- it was Formula One being reborn in the USA.
CNN's Ben Wyatt says Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso will seal their place in F1 history in Brazil this weekend.
updated 2:41 PM EST, Sun November 25, 2012
The F1 title race will be fought over 20 races this season. Keep track of the latest standings in the drivers' and manufacturers' championships.
updated 10:20 AM EST, Fri November 16, 2012
The Formula One roadshow rolls into Austin, Texas this weekend for the first race of ten over the coming decade
Mario Andretti says the key to rekindling F1 in the U.S. is a buzzword that has been flying around Washington faster than a Ferrari -- stability.
ADVERTISEMENT