What was F1 driver who lost her eye even doing in the car?

Marussia F1 Racing’s news release - announcing that an internal review of the accident that saw test driver Maria de Villota lose an eye found nothing wrong with the race car - raises more questions than it answers.

You’ll recall that the Spanish driver had completed a straight-line test at an English airfield several weeks ago and was returning to a staging area when the car suddenly accelerated and crashed into the back and underside of a team transport truck.

De Villota suffered severe head and facial injuries in the incident and lost her right eye. Although still seriously injured, she is reportedly recovering in hospital.

There were initial suspicions that the car’s anti-stall device had kicked in and caused the acceleration but Marussia’s investigation seems to reject that (although a separate English Health and Safety Executive investigation has yet to report).

If that’s the case, and it turns out to have been driver error, the question has to be asked: why did that team allow someone as inexperienced as Maria de Villota to get into that racing car in the first place?

It’s been my understanding that modern F1 cars are so powerful that if someone who doesn't know what they're doing ever tries to drive one, they're going to immediately spin out.

De Villota, the daughter of an F1 driver from the 1970s named Emilio de Villota (I never heard of the guy; he had two starts), had raced in a number of series – Grand Am and Formula Palmer, etc. – but a close examination of her record indicates that she was very much like her father -- she entered races but actually only got into a couple of them.

And she had never driven anything that even approached the power of a Formula One Grand Prix car.

But she is very attractive. She is one of two good-looking woman who were signed to testing or development driver roles by F1 teams this season; Susie Wolff, under contract to Williams, being the other.

Did somebody get it into their head that a knockout female racing driver would prove to be more intriguing to prospective sponsors and other well-heeled guests than the eye-candy hostesses usually found around F1 paddocks?

If so, that idea backfired -- big time.

The FIA mandates that a driver must have a superlicence before being allowed to race an F1 car. If Maria de Villota had a superelicence, the FIA must investigate how she got one.

If she didn't, then it's time for the FIA to legislate that anybody who gets into an F1 car to race or to conduct any kind of test must have one, or there will be the risk that de Villota's accident won't be the last to happen but potentially the first. 

Comments

[malcolm.strachan]

She tested for Renault last year, and covered around 300 km, so it wasn't her first time in an F1 car. She has also raced in Superleague, which is comprised of cars with 750 hp engines, so she has driven high horsepower single-seaters.

She may not be talented, but it wasn't her first time in an F1 car or similar.

[GD]

Didn't an un super licensed Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon drive F-1 cars in seat swaps?

Oh, but I guess thats OK since they race NASCAR and we all know that oval drivers are superior beings in your world.

[ex CART fan.]

Oh, Malcolm. I have to agree with Norris...Those two guys, Jeff and Tony have way more experience with Open and closed wheel, high horse power cars for many years :-)

[David White]

Very unfortunate incident. Its all about the money. I can only guess how
much cash she was bringing to the table!

[Adam]

Any mechanic should be able to drive an F1 car in a straight line test.
They don't need a "driver" to do that.
More to do with her looks and her connections. It's a Russian-owned team, after all.

[john]

Er... I don't know if the test is FIA sanctioned, GD, but Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon's tests definitely weren't. As such they didn't require a super license.

Also, they've been racing 900 horsepower cars on tires with half the grip of an F1 tire, and 1/4 the downforce, for the last 15-20 years, winning 132 races and 7 championships between the two of them.

Oh, and they've won a combined 16 races on road courses. You know, with left and right turns.

Tony raced in Indycar, and races Sprint Cars, which have a greater power/weight ratio than an F1 cars... sideways... on dirt...

So yes, they have the experience and car control to drive an F1 car. Just like any of the truly talented stockcar drivers. Whether they're turning one direction or two is irrelevant. Just like all the stockcar drivers who used to demolish F1 drivers in IROC on road courses AND ovals.

Whether De Villota did is questionable.

[Nick Danger]

Saturday night at Brockville, I saw a young woman (Tabatha Murphy, very attractive) win a highly competitive sportsman race. A few weeks back, I witnessed an attractive young lady (Amanda Connolly) win a Lucas Cup race at Delaware. These girls have worked hard, paid their dues, so to speak. Norris, your girl Danica is a fine racer and will eventually win a race. It's over. Female race drivers can be just as successful as males. Women are no longer an oppressed minority at the speedway. Stop with the 'Star Atkinson Priciples" approach to reporting and stick with the stuff you do well.