Marussia has issued the following statement.
“At approximately 09.15hrs BST this morning, 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. 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.”
The BBC had a local news crew on site during the testing and reported the following “BBC Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who witnessed the crash, said the car had completed a circuit when it “suddenly accelerated” into the back of the lorry. From where I was standing it looked like the helmet took the brunt of the impact,” he said. “Strangely, the car suddenly accelerated into the lorry and the car went careering into the side of the loading board.”
This sounds very much like the cars anti stall system engaged at the end of the run. Inexperienced drivers having their first runs in a F1 car can be caught out by this. As they slow to stop the car or make a low speed turn (for example into a garage) they lift off the throttle and let the revs drop. The ECU senses this and sets throttle to around 50% with the car still in first gear resulting in a sudden acceleration such as the one described.
Cambridge Police have added the following
“We were called by the ambulance service at 0925am with reports that a racing car had been in collision with a lorry at low speed at Duxford Airfield. We have since discovered that the driver has a serious injury. We have notified the health and safety executive because the incident was on private land.”
