Female racer could join Kimi at Lotus

Lotus Renault sure made the headlines in sport when they announced the return of Kimi Raikkonen to Formula One. And the hype surrounding them went up a few notches after Spanish racing driver Maria de Villota revealed at an event that her deal to become part of the team was more or less done. Yes, you read that right- ‘her deal.’ De Villota is a female Spanish Superleague Formula racer and the daughter of Emilio de Villota who raced in F1 during the 70s and 80s. She was present at the Interlagos Grand Prix last weekend and if she joins the roster at Lotus/Renault then it will be an incredible step forward for the sport. [caption id=“attachment_146055” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Maria de Villota attends a celebrity event in Madrid. Getty Images”]  [/caption] The team lived up to its promise of announcing something significant in the few days after the Kimi episode and is yet to confirm anything about De Villota. But she was quoted as telling Europa Press that she expected to sign a contract later this year or early next year and that only a few points of negotiation remain to be sorted out. “There are many women who can drive well and so it is important to try to open the way for others to see that it is not something so unusual,” she said before she confirmed that her role will be that of Friday or the replacement driver. She already tested the R29 in August this year and said that she was “focused towards 2013” when she hopes to “be on the grid”. The F1 season may have recently concluded, but significant team developments have already added to next year’s wait.