De Villota found dead, aged 33

Editor

Former Marussia test driver Maria de Villota has been found dead in a hotel room in Seville, Spain…

Former Marussia test driver Maria de Villota has been found dead in a hotel room in Seville, Spain.

The 33-year-old Spaniard’s family broke the news on her Facebook page on Friday morning.

“Dear friends, Maria has gone,” read the message. “She had to go to heaven like all the angels.

“We thank God for the extra year and a half that He left her with us.”

De Villota was reportedly in Seville this week to launch her autobiography “Life is a gift.”

She wrote the book after suffering life-changing injuries in a testing crash with Marussia last year.

De Villota sustained a serious head injury and also lost her right eye.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.