María de Villota is awake in hospital after suffering serious injuries in a freak F1 testing accident on Tuesday morning. The Marussia reserve driver collided with the tail lift of a support truck, which has left the 32-year-old Spaniard with head and facial injuries.
Marussia first released an official statement after reports of an incident began to circulate this morning. The latest communiqué comes at 3pm BST. De Villota, who was testing the car for the first time, remains in the trauma centre of Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. The precise cause of the bizarre occurrence is yet to be released.
Statement from Marussia F1 Team, 3pm BST:
‘Further to the accident involving the Marussia F1 Team’s Test Driver Maria De Villota this morning, the team can confirm that Maria was transferred by ambulance from Duxford Airfield, where the accident happened, to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Since Maria’s arrival at the hospital at approximately 10.45hrs this morning, she has been receiving the best medical attention possible at the hospital, which is the region’s major trauma centre. 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.’
Today’s accident marks the first time a driver has suffered serious head injuries at the wheel of a Formula 1 car since Felipe Massa’s helmet was struck by an airborne steel spring during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.
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