Maria de Villotta injured in testing

[strad]

so was hard on the brakes and I couldn’t stop

Why do I have to always be the one?
Justin had a bright red button that would have killed the engine. No accident.
You don't always think right at times like that. That's what makes the difference really..makes me wonder about him.

[marcush.]

experienced drivers engage fire extinguisher instead of starting the engine..in less than emergency situations..so maybe it´s asking too much really...
I´m firm in not blaming the driver in those situations too early.

[munudeges]

Competent???
She was their test driver. It wasn't a publicity stunt she was their test driver. There is no question of competency

She was appointed on International Women's Day.

[marcush.]

no need to discuss her quality as a driver these days .
If Marussias intention was publicity they got more than was good for them with this test.

[Mr Alcatraz]

Fernando Alonso:

I want to dedicate this pole to Maria de Villota, who is going through a particularly difficult time. We are all feeling sad these days and our thoughts are with her and her family

Class act!

[Tomba]

http://www.f1technical.net/news/17575

It appears that progress is being made. I sincerely hope she continues to improve.

My mother was recently in a horrific road car crash and spent 15 days (4 of which were in ICU, 2 separate occasions) in the hospital. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, nurses and staff, being in the hospital (or caring for a loved one in the hospital) is an extremely exhausting and trying time not only for the patient (who has the additional burden of injury) but the family too. I keep her and her family in my thoughts.

[mx_tifoso]

Yes, it looks like she is doing much better as she will go to Spain soon. Even that will aid her as there's nothing like being back home, which will also make it easier on the family.



My best wishes also go out to your mother, I hope she recovers to the fullest.
And I loved Tennessee when I was there for a week last year, Nashville to be precise.

[jdlive]

Letting someone drive an F1-car for publicity reasons, possibly endangering other people's lifes, that is idiocy. What I and others said is what most insiders thought beforehand but what you (hopelessly) politically correct emo's apparently don't dare to say.

Here's a good comparison. In 2010 she finished the Superleague Formula season 17th in points, right behind Narain Karthikeyan.

You gonna talk --- if Karthikeyan crashes the car? DO you talk --- on the multiple occasions Karthikeyan crashes himself out of a race with nobody in sight?

No.

Because he has a dick.

I'm about the least politically correct --- here, trust me. Were it not for the fact that the Maldonado thread basically put me on really thin ice around here already, I'd more than like to have a go at your braindead point of view on a more in-depth level but hey... even I have to reign it in sometimes.

She would never have been test driver if she were male, given her career so far. The only reason she became third driver is because she is a woman and that serves as nice publicity. Do you think she was the next best driver Marussia could have? Let's be honest.

This is not about a woman not being able to drive, this about someone being where she is NOT based on merit but purely on sex.

Even our newspaper F1-expert basically said the same, says she served as a "stewardess" during race weekends. You need to get into reality and off your naive horse bro.

[jdlive]

With the kindest of respect, she didn't qualify for a super licence through lack of experience before the accident, why would anyone even begin to think she will qualify for one now is beyond me?

Find me a professional race driver that hasn't had an accident.

I think you missed the point regards the accident.

The absolute bottom line, again with nothing personal against her or being female, but *IF* her prior experience and results merited having a super licence, she would be eligible. She isn't.

The point I was making about the comment that Marussia should now *give her* a couple of F1 race starts as I suppose compensation for the accident, is a ludicrous suggestion in my opinion!

Thank God, at least one with some brains!

[n smikle]

I think she deserves a Free Practice start.

Seriously.

She deserves it one eye and all.

One eye should be good enough for a few laps at three quarter pace. That would be a gift to her. And she would have closure.

[richard_leeds]

It does seem that some teams do hand out these straight line test session to some unlikely people based on sponsorship cash & PR.

Should that be limited to super license holders only?

ps - As a mod I'd ask members to refrain from personal comments about other forum members please.

pps - Gender may have been a PR factor for this driver getting this test, however it is crass to say it is contributory to the accident. The accident could easily happened with an equally inexperienced male driver. So no more on gender please, it's not relevant to the accident. What is relevant is an inexperienced driver participating in tests, plus the safety of the arrangements - ie trucks in the firing line of a runaway car.

[bhallg2k]

No complaints about Ma Qing Hua, a driver with less experience than Maria de Villota, taking the wheel of an HRT today at Silverstone? Anyone?

(...Bueller?)

[thearmofbarlow]

She would never have been test driver if she were male, given her career so far. The only reason she became third driver is because she is a woman and that serves as nice publicity. Do you think she was the next best driver Marussia could have? Let's be honest.

This is not about a woman not being able to drive, this about someone being where she is NOT based on merit but purely on sex.

Even our newspaper F1-expert basically said the same, says she served as a "stewardess" during race weekends. You need to get into reality and off your naive horse bro.

Is Narain Karthikeyan the best they could find? Charles Pic? Why didn't they go to a guy like Dario Franchitti?

I'm not naive, I'm just not a dickweed. Everyone knows that F1 is a game of money and nothing more. To single one person out based on the monetary gain they bring to a team is ludicrous whenever literally every driver on the grid brings some kind of sponsorship with them.

[Cam]

If anyone put's a 'token' driver in an F1 seat for any reason other than pure and recognised publicity (track day PR event etc), then they're negligent and should be treated as such. Was this driver suitable for the testing they were doing? If so, it's just a tragic accident and nothing more. There is nothing more to add or say. Anyone suggesting sex was a contributing factor is of a mind so small that, well, I won't use big words, they won't understand - really, it's not the 50's. Capability is based on skill, not gender or race.

If, however,this was a ploy to use a female simply to grab some headlines, which has backfired. Someone needs to loose their job and probably, some cash.

An F1 test, I would have thought, would be suitable only to those with the skills to offer credible feedback to make the test warranted in the first place. There is no room in testing high risk equipment (of any kind) for PR stunts. Period.

I'm sure we all hope she makes a great recovery and hopefully can race again.

[thearmofbarlow]

There is no room in testing high risk equipment (of any kind) for PR stunts. Period.

It's a --- car. Seriously, we're not talking about a robotic cactus with acid-pissing honey badgers taped to it. It's a car. She is a professional race driver.