Formula 1 reserve racing driver Maria De Villota has been found dead in a hotel room in Seville, Spain.
A police spokeswoman said: "We are assuming it was a natural death, but we cannot confirm anything."
Spaniard De Villota, 33,
lost her right eye in a crash
last July while testing for the Marussia team.
She suffered severe head and facial injuries after colliding with a lorry at
Duxford Aerodrome,
Cambridgeshire, but had been cleared to resume driving.De Villota, who had been in motor-racing for 12 years, had previously competed in Spanish Formula 3 and the Daytona 24 Hours race in the United States.
Her dream of driving a Formula 1 car came two years ago when she tested a Renault.
A family statement read: "Dear friends: Maria is gone. She had to go to heaven with all of the angels."
De Villota, daughter of ex-Formula 1 driver Emilio, was reported to have been in Seville to launch her autobiography.
The police spokeswoman said De Villota's body was found at around 07:00 (06:00 BST) at the Hotel Sevilla Congresos in the southern Spanish city.
Forensic scientists and officers from the homicide unit were due to examine the scene.
F1 teams and drivers have expressed their shock at the news of her death.
Spaniard Fernando Alonso, the Ferrari driver, said:Read more
