Former Spanish Formula One test driver Maria de Villota, one of the few women to come close to the top of the sport but whose career was cut short by an horrific accident last year, has been found dead in a hotel in Seville.
De Villota, who lost her right eye and fractured her skull at a test in England in July 2012, had apparently died of ‘natural’ causes, a Spanish police spokeswoman said.
“We are assuming it was a natural death, but we cannot confirm anything,” the spokeswoman said, adding that forensic scientists and a homicide unit would examine the scene.
Although the 33-year-old recovered from the life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash, she no longer competed and had instead become an inspirational figure for aspiring female drivers and was due to present a book detailing her experiences on Monday.
The daughter of former F1 racer Emilio De Villota, she was appointed test driver for Anglo-Russian team Marussia a few months before her crash.
She never took part in a general test with other drivers but was one of only a handful of women to have driven Formula One cars in the last decade. None, though, have come near to racing one in competition.
The news of her sudden passing stunned Spain and the motor racing world.
“I feel I owe it to her (to say something) because, out of the paddock and out of the motorsport bubble, she was an incredible character, she was a fighter,” Susie Wolff, a Williams development driver who had a test for the team last July and knew De Villota well, told Reuters.
“She had such a spirit for life and what she came through was a testament to her strength of character and her positive outlook,” added the Scot from the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso appeared lost for words in an interview with radio broadcaster Cadena Ser shortly after hearing the news.
“I really don’t know what to say,” he said.
“Pray for her and her family and the whole motor sport family. She was really loved by everyone.”
‘New opportunity’
Speaking in public for the first time since the accident in October last year, an upbeat De Villota, who married her personal trainer Rodrigo Garcia Millan in July, said she believed the best part of her life was still to come.
Wearing a patch over her eye socket and with her blonde hair cropped close to the skull, De Villota thanked all those who had helped and supported her and said she now believed she had “a new opportunity to live at 100 per cent”.