Marussia's Maria De Volta at the team's Banbury HQ ©Marussia

Marussia's test and reserve driver, the 32 year old Spaniard, Maria De Volta has sustained "life threatening injuries" in a testing crash at Duxford Imperial War Museum. The incident occurred during her first run in a modern Formula 1 car, where she was doing straight line testing for the Banbury based team. The MR-01 she was driving had completed it's fast run before the incident.

Sam Collins, the editor of Racecar Engineering, tweeted that it seemed that the car entered anti-stall, which caused a very strange collision.

De Volta lost control of the F1 single seater, colliding with a tail-lift fitted to the team's transporter. Eyewitnesses say that the collision was at head height.

The ambulance was on scene due to safety regulations, and attended immediately. The paramedics removed De Volta to a site where the Air Ambulance could evacuate her to hospital at Addenbrookes. The medical charity Magpas also aided in the emergency care administered at the scene.

"At approximately 09.15hrs BST, the Marussia F1 Team's test driver Maria de Villota had an accident in the team's MR-01 race car at Duxford Airfield, where she was testing the car for the first time," read the team's statement on the incident.

"The accident happened at the end of her first installation run and involved an impact with the team's support truck.

"Maria has been transferred to hospital. Once her medical condition has been assessed a further statement will be issued."

Already, the twitter-sphere is speculating about how the incident could have happened. We will have further information as it becomes available.

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