De Villota Continuing to Recover

Maria de Villota has revealed how her recovery is going, after suffering life changing facial injuries in a testing crash last year.

(c) Sky Sports F1

The female racer had been testing for Marussia when she crashed in to a team truck in the make-shift pit area. She lost her right eye in the crash, but is recovering well.

The Spanish driver revealed that she has been cleared to drive on the roads, saying “Last week they gave me permission to return to driving,"

"The distances I can already calculate quite well and it feels like nothing ever happened."

The 33-year-old has spent the last seven months recovering, returning to Spain shortly after the crash. She still gets headaches but is “getting on well.” 

"Very busy days take their toll, but I am calm because I know everything is going well," 

She added "To start with it was just difficult to do day-to-day things. Catching keys in flight or getting a glass of water was a problem, but now things are much better."

However racing is still her main passion, despite the accident.

"At the end of the day, my natural habitat is in a car and I am happiest in that environment. I missed it,"

"When your life is saved, no-one owes you anything. I don't hold any rancour towards the sport. The only thing I want is for the safety in races and tests to be improved.

"I will collaborate with them on what is currently lacking. Moreover, I feel very grateful to all the teams and drivers who have supported me after the accident."

Maria is the daughter of former F1 driver Emilio de Villota and held the position of test driver for Marussia, one of just two female drivers in the sport, when her car reportedly “accelerated” suddenly in to the back of a team truck.

It is great to see that she still shows such huge support and passion for Formula 1, and I wish her all the best for the future.