FORMULA ONE:Marussia's Spanish test driver Maria De Villota has lost her right eye and remains critically ill in hospital after surgery for facial and head injuries, her Formula One team said yesterday. De Villota was involved in an accident while driving the car for the first time on Tuesday in a straight-line test at Duxford airfield in the east of England ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix.

After completing one run and returning to the mechanics, her car suddenly accelerated into the back of a team truck with the 32-year-old’s helmet taking much of the impact.

“It is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye,” team principal John Booth said in a statement. “Maria remains in a critical but stable condition.”

The driver is the daughter of former F1 racer Emilio De Villota.