Madrid, Oct 12 (IANS): Maria de Villota, the former pilot and first woman racing in F1, was found dead Friday morning at a hotel in the Spanish city of Seville.

Spanish police confirmed that the 33-year-old, who had been in motor- racing for 12 years, died of natural causes, and some sources suggest that these may be related to the serious accident she suffered last year, Xinhua reported.

De Villota was in a hotel in Seville (in the region of Andalusia) to participate in an event at a convention center which aimed at telling young people shocking experiences. The conference was cancelled due to the news.

She had suffered a serious accident in July 2012 in Duxford Aerodrome (Britain) while testing for the Marussia team. She collided with a lorry and as a result, she lost her right eye and had severe facial and head injuries.

De Villota, daughter of the Spanish pilot Emilio de Villota who participated in F1 in the 80s, was the first Spanish woman to participate in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), in the Superleague Formula and had the pole position in the championship Ferrari Challenge.

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, who is in Suzuka to participate in the Grand Prix of Japan, said that Villota was loved by everyone in the motoring world.