Several serious motorsport web sites, including France's Autohebdo.fr, mention these days that there could be a woman racing in Formula 1 in the near future.
The Lotus Renault GP team has conducted a test at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit in Southern France for Spaniard Maria de Villota. The news was kept secret and has only leaked recently.
To respect the regulation that bans in-season testing, the car used was a 2009 Renault R29.
Maria is the 31-year-old daughter of Emilio, who ran private a McLaren, Lotus and Williams in the F1 World Championship and the Aurora British F1 series.
The test was apparently masterminded by Bernie Eccesltone himself who'd love to see a woman race in Formula 1 in the near future, which could bring a new audience to Grand Prix racing.
Maria De Villota has good racing experience under her belt, having competed in the Formula Palmer Audi series, the WTCC and the Superleague Formula where she captured a fourth place at the Nurburgring in 2010.
The last woman to have tried F1 was Italian Giovanna Amati, who failed to qualify four times at the wheel of a Brabham-Judd in 1992.
The Lotus Renault GP team has conducted a test at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit in Southern France for Spaniard Maria de Villota. The news was kept secret and has only leaked recently.
To respect the regulation that bans in-season testing, the car used was a 2009 Renault R29.
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| Maria de Villota also tested an Audi A4 of the DTM series. (Photo: dtm.com) |
Maria is the 31-year-old daughter of Emilio, who ran private a McLaren, Lotus and Williams in the F1 World Championship and the Aurora British F1 series.
The test was apparently masterminded by Bernie Eccesltone himself who'd love to see a woman race in Formula 1 in the near future, which could bring a new audience to Grand Prix racing.
Maria De Villota has good racing experience under her belt, having competed in the Formula Palmer Audi series, the WTCC and the Superleague Formula where she captured a fourth place at the Nurburgring in 2010.
The last woman to have tried F1 was Italian Giovanna Amati, who failed to qualify four times at the wheel of a Brabham-Judd in 1992.