De Villota’s crash not caused by car

Maria de Villota’s Marussia car has been ruled out as the cause of the test driving accident which cost the Spaniard her right eye by the Formula One team.

A fortnight ago, the 32-year-old Spaniard required two operations at Addendrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge after the accident at Duxford Airfield that saw her run into the tailgate of a stationary service vehicle.

Marussia said: “The Marussia F1 Team conducted an initial analysis immediately after the crash.

“This aimed to identify the causes and contributory factors behind the accident and also served to determine if there were any car-related implications for the impending British Grand Prix.

“Having carefully examined all the data and supplementary information available at that time, the team were satisfied there were no such car-related issues and cleared its chassis for race weekend participation.”

Marussia team principal John Booth added: “We are satisfied the findings of our internal investigation exclude the car as a factor in the accident.

“We have shared and discussed our findings with the HSE for their consideration as part of their ongoing investigation.

“We have now concluded our investigatory work and can again focus on the priority, which continues to be Maria’s wellbeing.”