Former Formula One test driver Maria de Villota was found dead in her hotel room in Seville, and according to police it appears as though she died of natural causes, USA Today Reports.
An autopsy will be carried out, but police told The Associated Press that she was discovered dead Friday morning at the Hotel Sevilla Congresos from what appeared to be natural causes and there was no indication of foul play.
De Villota lost her right eye and was seriously hurt in a horrific accident in England last year during testing for England's Marussia F1 team.
A native of Madrid, de Villota was the daughter of Emilio de Villota who competed in F1 from 1976-82.
De Villota had driven in the world touring car championships in 2006 and 2007 and had also driven in the Superleague open-wheel series.
De Villota's family posted a message about her death on her Facebook page:
"Dear friends: Maria has left us. She had to go to heaven like all angels. I give thanks to God for the year and a half that he left her with us."
According to USA Today, the Marussia team gave their condolences from the Japanese Grand Prix:
"It is with great sadness that we learned a short time ago of the news that Maria de Villota has passed away," Marussia said in a statement per USA Today. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Maria's family and friends at this very difficult time."
F1 officials were surprised to hear of the news as well, and according to The Associated Press, the officials released the following statement:
"The whole paddock is very shocked by the news that Maria is no longer with us," McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said, speaking as chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association, according to AP. "She was an inspiration not just to women in this sport, but also to all those who suffered life-threatening injuries."
"If anybody represented strength and optimism, it was Maria. Her sudden death is a big loss to the motorsport world," said Sauber's Monisha Kaltenhorn, the first female team principal in F1.
USA Today reports that De Villota was in Seville to participate in a conference called "What Really Matters," which had a mission to inspire young people by teaching them universal human values. The organizers canceled the conference following the news of her passing away.
De Villota was set to present her book, "Life is a Gift," which chronicled what happened during her brutal crash last year and the whole ordeal following the accident.
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