De Villota awake and talking to family after Tuesday's crash

Topics:  Maria de Villota, Marussia F1

Wikinews
July 8, 2012

Marussia F1's test driver María de Villota is conscious and "talking with her family", according to the team's principal, John Booth. The Spaniard has been in hospital since her collision with one of the team's support vehicles on Tuesday.

De Villota has had two operations since her accident. After the first, overnight on Tuesday at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, it was reported in a press release by Marussia that she had lost her right eye, and was still in a "critical but stable" condition. On Friday, she underwent a second operation, according to Marussia, "a planned procedure that would depend upon the continued stability of Maria’s head injuries, and this morning the medical team were sufficiently happy with her progress to allow the operation to go ahead." Subsequent to the operation, her condition was upgraded to "serious but stable".

Her sister, Isabel de Villota, has thanked both F1 fans and drivers for their response, saying "We remain positive and this is due, in no small part, to the overwhelming expression of love for Maria from every corner of the world." Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso was among those expressing his support, dedicating his pole postion in Saturday's qualifying to De Villota.

Regarding the accident itself, F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting is of the opinion that it was a "one-in-five-million" fluke. Despite questions being raised, both about De Villota's experience and the positioning of the truck with which she collided, he has described it as "so unique that it was just incredible bad luck".

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