María de Villota joins Marussia as test driver - F1 gets its latest female F1 driver as María joins the Marussia team
Published by Christine
This is F1Minute - María de Villota joins Marussia as test driver.
Spanish racer María de Villota has become the latest female driver to join Formula One, after the announcement today that Marussia had signed her for a test driver role in 2012. Last year, she participated in a test for the then Renault team, but now has a full season’s opportunity.
Team Principal at Marussia, John Booth, spoke about some of the duties ahead, saying: “We will provide María with the opportunity to sample F1 machinery later in the year, further adding to her racing credentials.”
Those career highlights include Daytona 24 Hours, Superleague Formula and Spanish F3. De Villota also has F1 in her heritage, as her father Emilio de Villota participated in several race weekends in the late 1970s.
María herself says of the role: “I will be joining the team trackside so I’m looking forward to working alongside them at the first race next weekend and this can only help my future ambition to step up to Formula One racing.”
