London: 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 on Wednesday.

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.

Marussia said surgeons at Cambridge’s Addenbrooke’s hospital had embarked on a lengthy operation that began on Tuesday afternoon and kept the driver in theatre until Wednesday morning.