In a freak testing accident about two weeks ago, Marussia F1 test driver Maria De Villota collided with a truck in a Formula One car. She suffered head injuries and the loss of her right eye.
It was a strange accident, and there is still a ton of debate as to how it happened.
Was there an electronics fault that caused the car to accelerate? Did the anti-stall technology step in and move the car forward? Maybe her foot slipped onto the gas by accident? No matter what, the front end of the car and her helmeted head struck a trailer at around 30 MPH.
De Villota has undergone a couple of surgeries on her face after the accident and PlanetF1 reports she is making "small but significant steps" in her recovery.
According to a report from Speed, Marussia is saying that the accident was not caused by a fault from the car.
However, the Marussia team and Team Principal John Booth are also not saying that De Villota was at fault for the crash.
Obviously, there is a fine line for Marussia to draw in this situation. They want to prove that the equipment they provide to race drivers is safe while also not placing blame on a driver that was injured and permanently disabled during a crash.
Still, by saying that the car was not at fault in the crash, they are now indirectly blaming people — either De Villota or mechanics on the team — for the incident that occurred. This is a definite PR nightmare and a no-win situation for the team.